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

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 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: [Voiceover of a letter he wrote] Dear Ruth, I dreamed about you again last night - I guess I dream about you every night, and most days, too. I hold your face in my mind; I put your voice together in my head. I think about your hair getting longer; think about your belly getting bigger. I hear people talk about regret, but I haven't got any. I don't think poorly on things that I have done - we did what we did and that is what we are. They're gonna cross out this sentence before you get to read ...

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

Ain't Long Enough
Performed by Lance Elizondo, Austin Green, Steffin Ratlif, James Talambas, and Andrew Tinker
Produced by Curtis Heath
Engineered by Curtis Heath

User Reviews

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.

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