Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Caroline Aaron | ... | Janet | |
Hugh Dillon | ... | Dad (Steven) | |
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David Gane | ... | Grocery Man |
Gill Gayle | ... | Officer Degrasso | |
Kent Harper | ... | Officer Jack Bennett | |
Michael Ironside | ... | Captain Billings | |
Pell James | ... | Bobbi Prescott | |
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Daryl Haney | ... | Drug Dealer (as D.R. Haney) |
Shannon Jardine | ... | Elaine Meyer | |
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Angela Lamarsh | ... | Maid |
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Gerald Lenton-Young | ... | Coroner (as Gerald Layton-Young) |
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Jennifer Miles | ... | TV Reporter |
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Mac Miller | ... | Johnny |
Charlie Newmark | ... | Officer Wright | |
Julia Ormond | ... | Elizabeth Anderson |
Grisly murders occur in a small town. Two FBI agents arrive, set up their cameras in three interview rooms, and set up interviews of three survivors: a girl of about nine, a foul-mouthed cop with a bandaged hand, and a young woman of about 20 who uses drugs. Each tells their story as the male FBI agent listens and watches from a separate room: the girl draws for and talks to the female agent, the local chief interviews the injured cop, and two officers interview the young woman. As they tell their stories, some of which are inaccurate and self-serving, we see what actually happened the day before. Can the agents or anyone else put the pieces together? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
This is far better than Director Jennifer Lynch's debut "Boxing Helena" Yet it still fails to excel in any of the genre's it explores. A good cast acquit themselves well with cinematography which is both easy on the eye when it needs to be, and visceral when required. Exactly what role father and executive Producer played is a mystery but the trade mark off-beat quirky David Lynch style ingredients do not fire on all cylinders.
As a straightforward murder/mystery with a twist it is fine. As a thriller it lacks pace, and as a torture/horror piece it fails despite some graphic, gory moments. The Coen brothers in "No Country For Old Men" understand that it is the threat of violence which can be so unsettling. Here, it is neither under stated enough for aesthetes, nor consistently gory enough for "carnage" fans.
At just over 90 minutes the story stays within its welcome. Told in flashback to "surveillance " cameras, the device works and is well constructed. The plot twist works insofar as it delivers a dramatic "gear change" to the story, but it also raises numerous loose ends which tend to irritate , rather than delight. Ultimately routine fare, but with enough promise to secure another film offer for Jennifer, I suspect.