I hate writing reviews, but someone has to.
People liked Dexter, despite the fact the show peaked with
the amazing fourth season, and the other four should have been wrapped up in
one. People loved Miami Vice, and everyone wanted to be Sonny Crocket, and now
he’s aging like fine wine in recent years. No one’s ever heard of Sam Shepard,
but that hasn’t prevented him from being awesome in multiple mediums. Those are
your three leads in this awesome film that no one will go see, because the
studios have only put a little faith in director Jim Mickle, and writing
partner/actor Nick Damici. But that’s okay, because the best way to adapt Joe
R. Lansdale material is the low budget, IFC/Sundance route, where actors go to
act, and writers go to write, not make big bucks. If you haven’t realized that
Michael C. Hall chose this low paying gig because he’s an actual artist and not
a businessman, you need to be shot. The same can be said for Shepard, but Don
Johnson more or less just does whatever the hell he wants. This film was well
suited to him.
The film travels a range of genres. Taking place in the
80’s, complete with station wagons and mullets, this small town film starts out
with Richard Dane (Hall) defending his family from an intruder. He becomes a
local hero and gets his 15 minutes of fame, until the father of the intruder,
Ben Russel (Shepard), decides he wants to play a psychological cat and mouse
game in order to get revenge. This is where the conventional film departs and
our hero starts having mixed feelings about what he has done, not to mention
suspicious that the man they claimed he killed didn’t look the same as the man
on the wanted poster. If you expect Dane and Russel to play this game for long
and then square off, well, you need to stick with mainstream film.
SPOILERS
Dane saves and kidnaps Russel, then they have a bonding
experience digging up the latter’s son’s grave, only to confirm the former’s
suspicions. They put aside their differences and Dane is free to return to his
normal, boring, small-town life. Enter Johnson’s Jim Bob Luke, the charismatic,
southern badass we’ve been waiting for, who helps Russel try to locate his son,
who is still alive. Dane is captivated by Russel’s failure as a father and
sticks around to help him. The three men bond, and it’s as if Dane was seeking
a little excitement, maybe wanting to be more macho, like the two Korean War
vets he’s partnered with now. He can’t return to his regular life until this
mystery is solved. The investigation reveals some startling info, as it turns
out that Russels son isn’t exactly an angel and is responsible for some ghastly
deeds. In his absence, he’s created a monster, one that he decided he must
destroy. The three set out, in yet another genre switch, to gain revenge and
set things right. It ends in traditional tragedy, but that’s all I’ll say.
END SPOILERS
I have ADHD, so the genre switching, combined with the huge
number of films I’ve seen, really made this great. Some will complain that
Michael C. Hall is unconvincing and you still see Dexter, but I think that
fault lies in their expectations, since this character has true remorse, fear,
and a wide range of other emotions, more like his character in Six Feet Under;
he’s an everyday man, with an everyday mullet and thin moustache, and his actions
reflect what a person would probably do, given those circumstances. Sam
Shepard and Johnson only overshadow him because they’re playing the parts
they’ve been crafting since their start in the business. They did a wonderful
job sharing the screen, and as Hall’s character watches the events unfold, his
desires are fulfilled and he can finally return to the typical life he now has
a newfound love and appreciation for. Also, check out the amazing, synth-laden
score that makes you want to snort coke.
I saw the film as an exploration of the changing concept of
manhood over the generations. The United States had a big war every decade,
where the men came back as heroes, starting in World War II, then Korea, then
Vietnam, followed by the remnants of the more shadowy, and less celebrated,
Cold War. Men in the late 80’s were still looking for their niche, where they
could meet those heroic expectations and utilize the ingrained gun culture,
where if you’re not a soldier, you need to at least be a well-armed militia,
defending your home and community where others cannot. The film captured a
brilliant portrait of the life many of us in my generation knew and loved.