Reviews & Ratings for
Dark Country More at IMDbPro »

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34 out of 46 people found the following review useful:
Brave story telling, but not a film for everyone., 1 October 2009

Author: Phil-531 from Wisconsin

The first thing you will notice about this movie is it's style. It takes a few minutes to get used to the pseudo-film noire feel and the interesting camera work. In the end you may feel as though you've been watching an episode of The Twilight Zone, or Tales From the Dark Side. Welcome this feeling- it is the only way to really embrace the computer enhanced darkness that fills this movie.

For the most part the acting is solid. Thomas Jane is pulling double duty as both lead actor and director, a difficult task for anyone (watch almost any Branagh film), and in this case it works. You can tell he feels very comfortable working with his surroundings, co-stars and cameras. Lauren German never really seems to find her stride in this movie but I'm willing to blame the writer for never making any very solid decisions as to her character. And Ron Perlman is just sort of there, being Ron Perlman. Which is fine, if you like Ron Perlman.

The music isn't the best but what was written for the movie works well within the movie. If the computer enhanced darkness and story don't throw you off, the music isn't going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

I have a soft spot for this kind of film- indie-esquire, first time director, interesting story with certain, almost inexplicable, twists that are almost nuanced into the shots. I like this movie, but it's probably not going to appeal to the masses. If you want a big budget scary movie with Thomas Jane and a satisfying ending that wraps up all events in the movie into a nice little explained bow, rent The Mist. If you want something a little more offbeat with a unique vision from a first time director, try Dark Country.

24 out of 38 people found the following review useful:
surely well done, 28 September 2009

Author: edward sanguinetti from Italy

Well, I am not sure what to think about this movie I had fun looking at it, Lauren German is more than gorgeous, the acting has no flaws, the pace is satisfying, characters are alive, normal, but the place where they are is not . The story is not that original, if you have some practice in mystery thrillers you have a fair chance to guess what is happening long before the end. Could be a remake of some old movie, a good remake anyway. What I liked most is the nice photography of the desert night. Did you ever feel out of space-time looking at a starred sky, undisturbed by city lights? Well, that is the case. As for the 3D, have fun.

6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Lost Highway, 23 November 2010

Author: Matt_Layden from Canada

A newly married couple hits the road and drives through the desert from Las Vegas when they encounter a person who was just in an accident. They take him and try to find some help, but they get more than they bargained for and all hell breaks loose.

I was intrigued by this film from the trailer, not because of the story or the actors, but it was the visual flare that grabbed me. It was a film noir with a twilight zone twist and that was exactly what the film gives you. Dark Country is the directorial debut of Thomas Jane and with Dark Country he shows that he has some interesting concepts and talent to back it up, yet still needs time to hone those skills. Dark Country, while showcasing some impressive scenes, comes off as slightly amateurish at times.

The most evident is the green screen. Now, Jane has obviously chosen to make it noticeable that when they are in the car, that the scenery in the background was stylized to make it feel like a comic book. It works, but the problem lies in the production values that are evident in the cracks. Bits of the green screen are visible through our lead female characters hair and around their faces. This takes you out of the film and you realize that you're watching a film.

The second would be the audio. While Jane pays a lot of attention to the detail of the visuals, he seems to have let the audio slide a little bit. If a film has bad visuals, the audience can forgive you as long as the sound is good. If a film has bad audio, you are screwed. While the film doesn't have horrible audio, there are times that it feels like it was put together in a day. ADR is very evident and jolting.

I give the film some credit for the intrigue. I immediately wanted to listen to the audio commentary from Jane to see what his agenda was. I got some of the film, while other parts of it were lost on me. The film is without a doubt a Twilight Zone entry aided by the film noir and graphic novel aspects that Jane added. It's a genre piece that has a specific market. Jane knows what he is doing and comes off extremely prepared and knowledgeable. I just wish he would have taken a bit more time with this one and improved those little imperfections.

It's funny, during the film there were parts where I asked myself if Jane was trying to make a 3D film. Reading up on the film, much to my surprise it apparently was suppose to be a 3D film. Not only that, but Jane is apparently not happy with the final product. I can see his frustration because there is a lot here that could be good. Instead it feels as if it's an exercise. A project to see if Jane could actually direct.

Dark Country is a beautiful looking film that has a few problems, yet those few problems are jarring enough to make you upset with the final product.

6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
certainly has its entertainment value, 19 March 2010

Author: disdressed12 from Canada

not sure what to say about this feature film directorial debut of Thomas Jane who also stars,along with Laura German.it kinda had an Outer Limits vibe going.i liked how it looked,as in the lighting and the the good use of shadows.and the voice over narrative was pretty effective.the actual story itself was very simple and straightforward,and i could see what they were aiming for with the ending,but there's no way to get there without some impossible leaps of logic.but up to that point,it's entertaining.it's short at less than ninety minutes.so it's not like you're losing a big chunk of your life.you could do worse.for me,Dark Country is a 6/10

16 out of 27 people found the following review useful:
Plot Summary and My Interpretation, 9 October 2009

Author: Trevian Austin from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

OK, so it starts off with our main characters Richard and his wife, Gina. These two people have recently got married and are on their way to their honeymoon in Las Vegas. On the way however they hit a man, Bloodyface.

Being Good Samaritan the couple picks up Bloodyface and attempt to take him to the hospital. On the way there Bloodyface attempts to murder Richard and Gina. After a struggle Richard kills Bloodyface leaving the couple with a problem, what are they going to do with the body?

After a lengthy argument the body is buried in the middle of the desert. The couple leave the scene and end up going to a rest stop where they clean themselves up. It is here where Richard discovers that his watch has gone missing and that he must go to the grave where they buried Bloodyface in order to recover it.

Gina, refusing to leave, is left at the rest stop with a gun to protect herself. Richard leaves to recover the watch. When he gets to the grave site he finds that the body is gone. While he is pondering this he hears gun shots in the distance. Richard rushes off back to the rest stop where he does not find Gina. He does however find tracks which leads to a women buried in the ground.

Richard then leaves to find help. He comes across a police officer who agrees to help and takes him back to the crime scene. When they get back there are other cops there and they are digging up several corpses. One of the corpses they dig up is of Gina, they also find Richard's watch with the corpses. In a panic Richard steals a car and runs away. A car chase ensues which ends in a large car crash.

Richard escapes the car crash bloody and mangled when he looks up he sees another car and is hit by it. When he comes to he is in the back of what is apparently his own car. He sees a man and a woman, which in my opinion look exactly like Richard and Gina but I might be crazy. When you see Richard, he looks exactly like Bloodyface and this is how the movie ends.

Now for my analysis of the ending: So what I believe happened is that Richard is stuck in a temporal loop. More or less the reason why there are so many dead women at the rest stop is because that's how many times the loop has happened thus far. What I believe is happening is that once Richard becomes Bloodyface he sees himself and his wife. Knowing what is going to happen he tries to kill himself, aka the new Richard, to stop it from happening again. And so far it has failed each time. But the question that arises is why? Why does Bloodyface try to kill Richard? Why doesn't he just go on his merry way? Why does he kill Gina? Why, Why, Why? The ending is open for interpretation but this is mine.

I give this movie a 2/10. It is bad movie, with a bad plot, with a confusing ending. The special effects are very unrealistic, the characters are emotionless 90% of the time. More or less, if you read my summary then you know the entire plot, if there even is a plot. Like seriously the plot is not introduced until the last 30 minutes, or at least it seems that way. So my final verdict, read the summary, don't watch the movie.

6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Thomas Jane's Film Noir, 8 February 2010

Author: x083 from Elmhurst, Illinois --United States

Well, If you like Thomas Jane as an Actor, you'll like this film. I saw him in the Film Thursday. I always enjoyed the roles hes played. Not only did he act well in this film, but he directed it fairly well too. I think that the film noir characteristics were well portrayed, though that the film bordered a horror flick. The acting was great, and I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes film noir or thomas jane. I feel like the film was going somewhere at the end and he just didn't quite get the ending he had hoped for, but loved the film, and all the special effects that remind me of the film noir films of the 1940's.

10 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Comic book look for a no story movie, 15 November 2009

Author: siderite from Romania

I was watching this movie and I started to get bored, but I stayed on, because I thought it would be hypocritical of me to chew on the fast formula movies and not appreciate slow buildup. But the problem is, all the buildup has to build up to something, and there was nothing there.

I agree the feel was nice, it reminded me of those old policier books from my childhood, but there was no solvable mystery, no underlying wonder and the twist at the end just made no sense whatsoever.

The thing is, I kind of like Thomas Jane, and I understand if he is more of an actor than a director, still, he could have chosen a better story. And man, that blond chick was annoying.

5 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Great "The Twilight Zone" episode., 28 July 2010

Author: tartol from Turks and Caicos Islands

A great episode of "The Twilight Zone" I would say. Camera movements, assembly, script ... everything in this film seems to be a tribute to the series. Recitation of a good standard, there is rhythm. A great movie entertainment, pleasantly unusual. I started to watch it not so convinced, after reading some reviews, but from the beginning it turn my interest and enjoy me. There are opportunities to smile and, sometimes, to feel a bit of characters panic It is a pity that at more or less at the half of the film is too easy to guess what the history is and the end of the film. Also considered the too much crap propose recently, I give it an 8. Well worth watching.

P.S. It would be great if the user can choose to write review in another language, and not only in English...

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Heh, I LOVED the guy who kept comparing it to Lynch (negatively) and still gave it a 7!, 17 August 2012

Author: lathe-of-heaven from Sunny Southern California, USA

I TOTALLY agree with the fellow reviewer here who said the film kept reminding him of David Lynch; RIGHT ON mate!!! The VERY first thing that struck me when watching this film, and I mean RIGHT AWAY, literally within the first few minutes with the photography of the motel, was the stunning DETAIL and effort that was clearly put into the look and visuals of this film! WOW! That is precisely what I thought immediately... Just WOW!!! Even with the bloody simply setting of the damn motel, each shot was like a well thought out composition, I s h * t you not! And, that is when I thought 'Lynch!' That ALONE throughout the film was enough to set it apart and impress the living hell outta me! Forget the 'story' mate... So, you probably get by now that just the bloody look of the film, direction, and photography was enough to make me hafta change my pants frequently...

That said... There are though some rough edges, which Jane admits during the commentary that bothered him; either due to time or money constraints. I LOVE the understated stylized dialog and acting too. That is likely why many here do not like it. You HAVE to be one who appreciates and enjoys an understated, almost classic FILM NOIR approach to the dialog or you will just think it is stupid.

As you likely can tell by the polarized reviews, this movie really comes down to one's preference and taste. IF you like almost comic book, sharply stylized and well constructed SURREAL visuals (NOT nearly as extreme as 'SIN CITY' though) and a heavy David Lynch Surreal mood, THEN you will very much enjoy this film! But, if you don't really care for these types of things, then it likely will leave you pretty flat...

One thing I kept thinking of as they showed the shots of the stars while they were driving was that it REALLY reminded my of 1950's Science Fiction; which you COULD look at as hokey, but if you dig it, it really just adds to the overall Surreal mood of the film.

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Fun little indie movie, 23 February 2011

Author: Raymond from Finland

I'm not sure if this movie had caught my eye unless Thomas Jane had directed it. I always find it interesting when an actor with some fame goes behind camera. I think Thomas Jane succeeds pretty well, the movie holds itself together all the way.

Not gonna go much into the plot, but it does indeed play a bit like a Twilight Zone episode as some others have mentioned. To speak the truth, I didn't quite understand how the movie eventually unfolded, but it was fun to watch. Probably isn't even meant to be explainable.

The noirish style works quite well. A somewhat similar look has been popular recently and it's easy to guess the budget has been tight on this one. There are many many shots, where you can see the green screen through hair or the darks just don't match up. Despite the sloppy post production, there are some nice visual ideas without going over the top with visual trickery and the noirish atmosphere works.

There are basically only two actors (three if you count Perlman) and they both do a decent job. Lauren German is quite a chameleon it seems. She never looks the same, yet she resembles so many other actresses. She's very capable of pulling of different roles, really looking forward to watch her career go sky high.

The movie is something you'd expect to see from someone graduating from a film school. It's still got the fun factor, it doesn't take itself too seriously. It feels more as if the crew made the movie for themselves rather than the audience, and that's how art should be done.

I'm still giving only 5, because it really is not a classic, even tho it's a fun little indie movie. Five here doesn't mean it's a bad movie, there's just so many better ones that I can't justify a higher score.

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