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IMDbPro

Ain't Them Bodies Saints

  • 2013
  • R
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
23K
YOUR RATING
Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara in 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.
Play trailer0:31
4 Videos
97 Photos
CrimeDramaRomanceWestern

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.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.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
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    23K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • David Lowery
    • Writer
      • David Lowery
    • Stars
      • Rooney Mara
      • Casey Affleck
      • Ben Foster
    • 73User reviews
    • 192Critic reviews
    • 74Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 14 nominations total

    Videos4

    Exclusive TV Spot
    Trailer 0:31
    Exclusive TV Spot
    International Trailer
    Trailer 1:41
    International Trailer
    International Trailer
    Trailer 1:41
    International Trailer
    Theatrical Version
    Trailer 2:29
    Theatrical Version
    Ain't Them Bodies Saints: Clip 1
    Clip 0:55
    Ain't Them Bodies Saints: Clip 1

    Photos97

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    + 92
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    Top cast33

    Edit
    Rooney Mara
    Rooney Mara
    • Ruth Guthrie
    Casey Affleck
    Casey Affleck
    • Bob Muldoon
    Ben Foster
    Ben Foster
    • Patrick Wheeler
    Nate Parker
    Nate Parker
    • Sweetie
    Keith Carradine
    Keith Carradine
    • Skerritt
    Kennadie Smith
    • Sylvie Guthrie
    Jacklynn Smith
    • Sylvie Guthrie
    Robert Longstreet
    Robert Longstreet
    • Cowboy Hat
    Charles Baker
    Charles Baker
    • Bear
    Augustine Frizzell
    Augustine Frizzell
    • Sissy
    Kentucker Audley
    Kentucker Audley
    • Freddy
    David Zellner
    David Zellner
    • Zellner
    Turner Ross
    Turner Ross
    • T.C.
    Rami Malek
    Rami Malek
    • Will
    Will Beinbrink
    Will Beinbrink
    • Lt. Townes
    Frank Mosley
    Frank Mosley
    • Lt. Carson
    Steve Corner
    • Lt. Brule
    Annalee Jefferies
    Annalee Jefferies
    • Mary
    • Director
      • David Lowery
    • Writer
      • David Lowery
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews73

    6.423.3K
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    Featured reviews

    8charles-luongo

    Classic love story remains true to the genre but has unconventional feel

    If I had seen this film outside of a film festival setting I probably would not have appreciated it as much. Fortunately, director David Lowery provided amazing insight into his thought process and artistic intent as he crafted this film.

    His attempt to create a "classic" film, distinguishable for its details but otherwise typical of the star-crossed lovers genre, resulted in something so much more. The characters are much more complex and do not fit neatly into their traditional archetypes. The audience will feel conflicted throughout, growing partial to different characters and rooting for different outcomes at various junctures in the film. Character introspection and lengthy shots of the landscape definitely took priority over plot development. If the depth of the story matched the depth of the characters this would be a truly great film.

    The performances are second-to-none and the film was expertly cast. The hand clapping percussion and fiddle gives the score a uniquely southern, soulful feel; anyone from Texas can attest, the combination of score and cinematography will let the audience know what small-town Texas feels like.

    Lowery prefaced the film as a cinematic "folk song" and it totally had the feel of a Townes Van Zandt ballad. If the film-goer keeps the folk song description in mind they'll truly appreciate the film's nuances and enjoy the experience.
    Red_Identity

    Pretty good

    I don't think this is a great film, merely a good one, but it's still one where your anticipation for the next thing the director does is heightened. The directing has a poetic, lyrical beauty to it. This may sound clichéd, but yes, it's very "Malick-y" at times. It's overall a very solid flick, with some strong performances. Mara, Foster, Carradine are all pretty good, but Casey Affleck stands out amongst them. Not a surprise perhaps, seeing as how I consider his performance in Jesse James to be the finest I've ever seen, but there's a raw naturality to how he carries his character. It's all incredibly realized from the inside, and he comes across with the most charisma.
    GManfred

    Work In Progress

    Enjoyed "Ain't Them Bodies Saints". Good story which needs some touching up, but the acting is first rate. It is a character study, a study in melancholy told in real, human terms and not in movie terms. And maybe that is its only flaw, that truth be told, real life is less dramatic and more grimy than make-believe. Briefly, he is a crook, she is his wife/girl (it's not explained) and the two are caught in a shoot-out with police. She fires a gun wildly out a window and accidentally hits a policeman. He takes the rap, goes to jail, she has a baby and waits for him to come back.

    The nominal star, at least when the movie credits rolled, is Casey Affleck, but the real star is Rooney Mara, who is excellent as the single mom waiting for Affleck. It is an earthy, sensitive portrayal of a distrustful woman on the defensive. She has made great strides since "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", a one-dimensional performance. The raw-boned Affleck plays tougher than he looks and underplays his role here. Keith Carradine was a surprise in a strong supporting role.

    In my opinion the picture could use two things; tightening up and punching up. There are some dead spots throughout and the film seems longer than 105 minutes, although, as I said, real life is not always supercharged. But there must be a middle ground or else the narrative becomes sluggish. Also, no explanation was given for the 3 strangers in town. Were they Magi? The Three Stooges? We are left to wonder, and director Lowery should have given us more information in this instance.

    It is very worth seeing and brightens a dreary summer full of sequels and explosion movies. If you are seeking respite from the likes of "Smurfs 2", go see this one. It's for grown ups.
    7judex1066

    Not Bad Outlaw Couple Film

    Caught this at Sundance where the buzz surrounding it was pretty high. Did it live up to the hype? Yes and No.

    As almost every reviewer has noted, it is a return to the Terrance Malick/Robert Altman-style outlaw lovers films of the 70s. Lots of long lingering visuals of country places and lots of deeply-felt brooding by the main characters. Not bad for that kind of film, but frankly nothing to write home about.

    The three leads are very good, as is Keith Carradine. The music and photography are great (though I think there is an over abundance of mid and close shots in a film that screams out for long deep focus photography). Yet, somehow, it doesn't quite jell. A lot of this could be due to its slow pace. Another element may be the reluctance of the writer/director to dole out plot points (you know, like when someone reads an important letter, but we don't find out what is inside until 15 minutes later).

    All in all, it is fairly good for what it is. I am sure it will garner positive response from critics. Still, somehow the whole is less than the sum of its parts.
    7Hellmant

    It isn't nearly as memorable as the movies it's trying to emulate.

    'AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

    Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara star in this romantic crime drama about young lovers who are also outlaws, in Texas, that's crime spree comes to an end when one of them is sent to prison. He then breaks out of prison, years later, and travels home to see his wife again and meet his daughter for the first time. The film was written and directed by David Lowery and also stars Ben Foster, Nate Parker and Keith Carradine. It's a routine story but it's beautifully shot and the acting is all more than decent.

    Affleck plays Bob Muldoon and Mara plays Ruth Guthrie, they're outlaws in Texas who run into trouble on their latest heist and Guthrie shoots and wounds a police officer named Patrick Wheeler (Foster). Muldoon takes credit for the shooting and Guthrie claims to not have been involved in any of their crimes, so Muldoon goes to prison as Guthrie has their child. He later escapes, multiple years later, and travels home to see his wife again and meet his daughter. As he returns he finds the police waiting for him and Wheeler is now romantically interested in his wife.

    The movie seems inspired by classic 'young love and crime' films like 'BADLANDS' and even 'BONNIE AND CLYDE' but it isn't nearly as memorable as the movies it's trying to emulate. Lowery is a talented director though and (like I said) the acting is great and the cinematography (by Bradford Young) is beautiful. Affleck and Mara are well cast as the young lover outlaws but their talent (along with Foster, Carradine and most of the rest) deserves a lot better than this script. There's just nothing to it. The film looks good enough to make it worthwhile though and that title is classic (Affleck says it doesn't mean anything but is just Lowery's misinterpretation of the lyrics to a song). It's style over substance filmmaking but it's gorgeous all the same.

    Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOD_FVRPTm4

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Quotes

      Bob Muldoon: Every day I wake up thinking today's the day I'm gonna see you. And one of those days, it will be so. And then we can ride off to somewhere. Somewhere far away.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #21.193 (2013)
    • Soundtracks
      The Lights
      Written by Jonathan Price

      Performed by Keith Carradine

      Produced by Jeff Halbert

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 16, 2013 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Несвяті
    • Filming locations
      • Meridian, Texas, USA
    • Production companies
      • Sailor Bear
      • Parts and Labor
      • Primary Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $396,519
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $26,419
      • Aug 18, 2013
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,031,243
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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