Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Casey Affleck | ... | Lou Ford | |
Kate Hudson | ... | Amy Stanton | |
Jessica Alba | ... | Joyce Lakeland | |
Ned Beatty | ... | Chester Conway | |
Elias Koteas | ... | Joe Rothman | |
Tom Bower | ... | Sheriff Bob Maples | |
Simon Baker | ... | Howard Hendricks | |
Bill Pullman | ... | Billy Boy Walker | |
Brent Briscoe | ... | Bum / Stranger | |
Matthew Maher | ... | Deputy Jeff Plummer | |
Liam Aiken | ... | Johnnie Pappas | |
Jay R. Ferguson | ... | Elmer Conway | |
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Ali Nazary | ... | Max Pappas |
Blake Lindsley | ... | Waitress | |
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Zach Josse | ... | Lou - 13 (as Zachary Josse) |
Sadism and masochism beneath a veneer of revenge. Lou Ford is a mild-mannered sheriff's deputy in a Texas oil town in the mid 1950's. His boss sends him to roust a prostitute living in a rural house. She slaps him; he hits her, then, after daily sex for the next few weeks, he decides it's love. She's devoted to him and becomes his pawn in a revenge plot she thinks is to shakedown the son of Chester Conway, the town's wealthy king of construction. Lou has a different plan, and bodies pile up as murder leads to murder. The district attorney suspects Lou, and Conway may have an inkling, but Lou stays cool. Is love, or at least peace, in the cards? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
Casey Affleck (Ben Affleck's younger brother) delivers a stunning performance as a psychopathic deputy sheriff; when his charming and well mannered guy appearance disappears the audience's shown violence both "ordinary" and of sexual kind. There's absolutely nothing voyeuristic in these scenes, difficult to see though they might be, on the contrary they're the moments where the movie really gets to make an impact on the viewers. The narrative's very gripping and Winterbottom's story manages to strongly connect on an emotional level. All the characters appear to have a "proximity" to the audience. On the whole the film always makes a strong impact and keeps the noir atmosphere required, furthermore its ability to shock is the key for being truthful and compelling.