Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013)

The tale of an outlaw who escapes from prison and sets out across the Texas hills to reunite with his wife and the daughter he has never met.

Director:

David Lowery

Writer:

David Lowery

Stars:

Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster

4 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rooney Mara	...	Ruth Guthrie
Casey Affleck	...	Bob Muldoon
Ben Foster	...	Patrick Wheeler
Keith Carradine	...	Skerritt
Kennadie Smith	...	Sylvie Guthrie
Jacklynn Smith	...	Sylvie Guthrie
Nate Parker	...	Sweetie
Robert Longstreet	...	Cowboy Hat
Charles Baker	...	Bear
Augustine Frizzell	...	Sissy
Kentucker Audley	...	Freddy
David Zellner	...	Zellner
Turner Ross	...	T.C.
Rami Malek	...	Will
Will Beinbrink	...	Lt. Townes

Storyline

The tale of an outlaw who escapes from prison and sets out across the Texas hills to reunite with his wife and the daughter he has never met.

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Plot Keywords:

taking the blame for someone else | storytelling | directorial debut | fugitive | outlaw couple | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 August 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ain't Them Bodies Saints

Filming Locations:

Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$26,419, 18 August 2013

Gross USA:

$396,519

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,031,243

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sailor Bear, Parts and Labor, Primary Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title is director David Lowery's "mondegreen" - a mishearing of a song lyric - and has no actual meaning. He had been wanting to use it as a movie title for years.

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Goofs

When Bob visits Skerritt and they embrace, Bob is clearly wearing a wedding ring which is not present in any other scene including in the continuation of this meeting. Given Bob Muldoon and Ruth Guthrie's differing names it could be presumed they are not married.

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Quotes

Ruth Guthrie: I haven't slept in four years. And I'm tired. I'm so goddamn tired.
Patrick Wheeler: Then rest.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #21.193 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Bluegrass Vamp
Performed by Curtis Heath
Written by Curtis Heath
Produced by Curtis Heath
Engineered by Curtis Heath

User Reviews

David Lowery - A Talent to Watch

At his televised 80th birthday celebrations, the esteemed British director Sir David Lean had a message to young, budding film-makers: Listen to us; learn from us. Then do your own thing.

Debutant writer-director David Lowery has clearly been influenced by the American New Wave directors of the 1970s. And then done his own thing.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints follows the relationship of Bob Muldoon (Casey Affleck) and his partner Ruth Guthrie (Rooney Mara). Besieged by local Police at an isolated farmhouse, the pregnant Ruth injures an officer in the shoot out. Bob Muldoon takes the rap for this crime and is incarcerated for a long stretch. Several years later, he affects an escape from the prison in which he is held and makes his way back to his home town in rural Texas.

There is very little back-story or explanation of events in this atmospheric film. This appeared to be a deliberate ploy by Lowery. Like the Curate's egg, it was good in parts . But ultimately it left too much of the plot inchoate: who were the three men hunting down Muldoon? Bounty hunters? Erstwhile partners in crime? We weren't privy to their motives and this detracted from the narrative. This was but one example. The very title of the film is also rather enigmatic and might lead some to believe the film is more bloodthirsty than it actually is.

Casey Affleck, who has enjoyed something of a patchy and sporadic acting career to date, is perfectly cast as Muldoon. As he showed in his Oscar-nominated performance in The Assassination of the Outlaw Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Affleck has a great ability to convey a threat of violence without displaying any physical intimidation. He does so again in this film exuding a latent and uneasy menace. Hopefully this role will prove a springboard for Affleck and give him some momentum – he has good screen presence.

There was also a strong performance from Rooney Mara and support from Ben Foster and Keith Carradine.

The cinematography was, on the whole, superb. Long linking shots in subdued colour gave a great feel for the small town Texan setting amidst arable farmland. The wonky camera shots for the close ups we can put down to current, hopefully soon obsolete, fashion.

And if the pacing was a little on the slow side at times, well David Lowery is still learning his craft.

This is a very promising debut from a rookie director. He is one to watch.