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 | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rami Malek originally auditioned for the role of Sweetie, but the role went to Nate Parker. However director David Lowery was so impressed with Malek's audition that he decided to give him the small role of Will later in the film.

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Goofs

When Bob is shot while in his parked truck, he stumbles out, leaving the driver side door open. While he returns fire and confronts his assailant, he bumps into the door, causing it to close. After killing assailant and turning to get back into truck, the door is open again.

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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.

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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

Ain't half bad

What is it about the Deep South that's so evocative in cinema? Maybe it's the timelessness. Ain't Them Bodies Saints could be set at any time during the past forty years. The sun seems forever rising or setting in this region, and filmmakers can't help but point their lens in its direction, silhouetting their beautiful actors. Terrence Malick has a lot to answer for.

It's hard not to think of Malick's first film, Badlands, when watching this. The story concerns a couple of young Texan criminals, painfully in love. When Ruth (Rooney Mara) shoots policeman Patrick (Ben Foster), her lover Bob (Casey Affleck) takes the blame and goes to jail. Bob promises he'll come for Ruth, and duly escapes incarceration. Meanwhile, Patrick is making moves on Ruth, oblivious to her guilt. All of this is under the wise, watchful eye of Skerritt, played wonderfully by Keith Carradine. As Bob closes in on Ruth, the cops and the gangsters close in on Bob.

There are times during Ain't Them Bodies Saints when writer-director David Lowery's style and technique comes across as mimicry, of Malick and also of Jeff Nichols, as well as countless American movies from the 1970s. Thankfully, he also has an interesting story to tell, and it is one presented with rich textures. At times the film flows like a visual poem, with Bradford Young's evocative cinematography melding perfectly with Daniel Hart's stirring music. The effect is of something exquisitely handmade.

Affleck's mumbled delivery here exudes danger; he's mythologising himself in the same way he once mythologised Jesse James. Mara is sentimentalised as the angelic mother, but Lowery is wise enough to suggest that this comely vulnerability is an act also - a sophisticated defence against hard men secretly seeking softness.

Perhaps the film veers too closely at times toward stylish vagueness and too far from the broken heart of the story. But there is no denying this is a serious, authored work of art.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

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