Texas Killing Fields (2011)

In the Texas bayous, a local homicide detective teams up with a cop from New York City to investigate a series of unsolved murders.

Director:

Ami Canaan Mann

Writer:

Don Ferrarone

Stars:

Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jessica Chastain

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Worthington	...	Mike Souder
Jeffrey Dean Morgan	...	Brian Heigh
Jessica Chastain	...	Pam Stall
Chloë Grace Moretz	...	Little Ann Sliger
Jason Clarke	...	Rule
Annabeth Gish	...	Gwen Heigh
Sheryl Lee	...	Lucie Sliger
Stephen Graham	...	Rhino
Corie Berkemeyer	...	Shauna Kittredge
Trenton Perez	...	White Kid (as Trenton Ryan Perez)
Maureen Brennan	...	Mrs. Kittredge (as Maureen A. Brennan)
Tony Bentley	...	Captain Bender
Becky Fly	...	Neighbor
James Landry Hébert	...	Eugene (as James Hébert)
John Neisler	...	DPS Officer

Storyline

Souder, a homicide detective in a small Texan town, and his partner, transplanted New York City cop Detective Heigh, track a sadistic serial killer dumping his victims' mutilated bodies in a nearby marsh locals call 'The Killing Fields'. Though the swampland crime scenes are outside their jurisdiction, Detective Heigh is unable to turn his back on solving the gruesome murders. Despite his partner's warnings, he sets out to investigate the crimes. Before long, the killer changes the game and begins hunting the detectives, teasing them with possible clues at the crime scenes while always remaining one step ahead. When familiar local girl Anne goes missing, the detectives find themselves racing against time to catch the killer and save the young girl's life.

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Plot Keywords:

place name in title | multiple murders | based on fact | abusive parent | torture murder | 

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Taglines:

Once in... There's no way out.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | History | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language including some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 2011 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

The Fields

Filming Locations:

Amite, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$8,772 (USA) (14 October 2011)

Gross:

$45,282 (USA) (11 November 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anchor Bay Films, Blue Light, Infinity Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In preparation for their roles, Sheryl Lee and Chloë Grace Moretz spent time in a rehabilitation center for drug addicts.

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Goofs

The shadows of the cameraman and another crew member are visible on the blacktop in the shot at the beginning of the film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dispatcher: 7-Ida-06 over at Hal's Tire Shop. There's been a break-in.
Det. Mike Souder: 06 en route to the tire shop...

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.14 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Get It Right The First Time"
Performed by Kimber
Written by David A. Terry, Christopher Cooke, Kimberly Terry, Alan Terry
Licensed by Arrangement with Sodium Glow Publishing
Courtesy of Sodium Glow Music

User Reviews

Keeps you expecting something better

It's difficult to understand why this film was made. And I don't mean that as a commentary on the overall quality of the movie at all. Yes it is a pretty straightforward serial killer/crime drama containing average (and some below average) piece of acting. At the end of the movie however, the question remains, why was this made? If the purpose was to introduce us to the geography of the fields, there are better mediums to do that. If the purpose was to tell a gripping tale of mystery and suspense, that doesn't happen either. If it wanted to make us empathize with the very real plight of detective work in grim everyday condition, it doesn't go there. And lastly if the purpose was to throw some light on the case itself or to enable us to identify with the horrors that the victims faced, the movie simply ignores it. So, why was this film made? The story is told listlessly, almost as if the director has no interest in telling it. Sam Worthington is a cliché of hothead cop characters and the good cop bad cop routine he plays out with Jeffery Dean Morgan adds nothing to the cinematic experience. The character of Chloë Grace Moretz tries too hard to portray the role written for in the script. At the end she comes out as irritating, something I am sure the director did not intended to portray. It's not her fault though, her skill is flawless, she simply doesn't know what she is doing and why. Jessica Chastain looks beautiful and handles her limited role quiet well. That is not to say that this film is bad, it is just so average in everything it does that it all boils down to the purpose of making it.