If Tarantino had of been listed in the accreditations for this film, you would broadly know what you are in for. Instead, everything unfolds in this sleepy Arkansas town quietly and at a sedentary pace. The film focuses on three brothers who find themselves locked into a potentially deadly feud with their half-brothers, following the passing away of their shared but estranged father. Despite the Shakespearean air to this theme, this is not some fight amongst noble lords mind! Instead, the film is set firmly in a working class setting, with the three brothers going by the given names of Son, Boy, and Kid respectively. To say that they have endured parental neglect is an understatement.
Michael Shannon gives the best performance as Son, with his voice that is as deep as the Grand Canyon. He has a surprising line early on when he admits that between the three of them, they own the “square root of shit”. Quite what a fish farm operative is doing using such a comparison is not immediately clear. However, it is revealed later on that he once showed an excellent aptitude for mathematics, even though it only manifests itself now by way of his card-counting antics. What is quite clear though is that all three are emotionally damaged men, with Boy (Douglas Ligon), in particular, resembling a repressed ten-year old boy trapped in a shapeless, swarthy man’s body.
The general thrust of the film follows the cowboy logic of John Wayne that “a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do”. However, when it involves a simmering feud between men a fuel line short of a John Deere tractor, the results can be tragic. Unfortunately, the acting in certain scenes seems to be stuck somewhere between “wooden” and “hammy”, rendering it unintentionally like the satirical Canadian sitcom Trailer Park Boys. On the other hand, the cinematography is excellent, especially the photography of the dusty semi-harvested cotton fields.
Ultimately, while the film deserves credit for avoiding stereotypical means of advancing the plot, it was just a little too slow-moving for me to truly entertain. At the same time, it did have some interesting points to make on both the awesome responsibility of parents and the futility of violence. In all, it represents a curious coming-of-age drama that perhaps would feel more at home on the stage rather than up on the big screen. To be a little gratuitous with my conclusion, think of it, perhaps, as A History of Violence gone fishing!
Filed under: Cinema, Films, Movies | Tagged: Douglas Ligon, Michael Shannon, Shotgun Stories
no way. i appreciate and respect opinions and all…but this was probably one of the top films of the year. a comparison to trailer park boys is simply ludicrous.
Derek, it has been six months since seeing this film, so I cannot recall it in serious detail anymore. However, I try to write honestly and that is how I clearly felt at the time. Therefore, I stand by it.
In any event, you are generalising a specific point that I was making. It is evident from what I wrote that I am not comparing the whole film to TPB – although, in any event, I am quite surprised that you cannot see the striking similarities.
Anyway, be positive in your criticism! Tell me why it is one of the “top films of the year”! If it involves praising Michael Shannon’s acting or the photography of the landscape, then I would agree!