In Dubious Battle

James Franco directs (and takes a key role in) this impressively mounted adaptation of the 1936 John Steinbeck novel, delivering a film that feels like an authentic slice of rural Americana, driven by social anger. Franco and Nat Wolff play members of ‘The Party’ who encourage fruit pickers to strike against a tough boss (Robert Duvall on top form), who had promised a fair wage but then reduced it by two thirds, leading to an increasingly brutal standoff. [PG]