Arkansas (2020)

Kyle and Swin live by the orders of an Arkansas-based drug kingpin named Frog, whom they've never met. But when a deal goes horribly wrong, the consequences are deadly.

Director:

Clark Duke

Writers:

Clark Duke (screenplay by), Andrew Boonkrong (screenplay by)

Stars:

Liam Hemsworth, Jacob Zachar, Patrick Muldoon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Liam Hemsworth	...	Kyle
Jacob Zachar	...	Stranger
Patrick Muldoon	...	Joe
Clark Duke	...	Swin
John Malkovich	...	Bright
Eden Brolin	...	Johnna
Vince Vaughn	...	Frog
Vivica A. Fox	...	Her
Barry Primus	...	Old Greek
Chandler Duke	...	Nick
Eric Walton	...	Testament
Melèa Celeste Rose	...	Young Her (as Melea Celeste)
Troy Faruk	...	Buttons
Michael Kenneth Williams	...	Almond
Larry Barnette	...	Biker

Storyline

Kyle and Swin live by the orders of an Arkansas-based drug kingpin named Frog, whom they've never met. But when a deal goes horribly wrong, the consequences are deadly.

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Plot Keywords:

arkansas state flag | betrayal | singing in a car | drug dealer | park ranger | 

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Taglines:

Kyle and Swin are working their way to the top...but the top has other plans.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language throughout, drug material and brief nudity.

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on the novel "Arkansas," written by John Brandon, published by McSweeney's Rectangulars in 2009.

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Goofs

In Chapter 2, set in 1985, Froggy takes delivery of bootleg cassette tapes at his shop. One of the shelves is full of DVDs, which didn't become widely-available in the US until 1997 - the year in which one of the DVDs on the shelves, Dante's Peak, was first released in cinemas.

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Quotes

Kyle: What a lot of people don't know about organized crime in the south is that it's not that organized. The term Dixie Mafia has always been too generous, implied too grand a scale.

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Alternate Versions

The international release of the film features a different score, composed by Alexander Taylor

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Connections

Features Hot Summer in Barefoot County (1974)

User Reviews

A solid rural noir flick with a personal tone

A lot of reviewers seem to reference Quentin Tarantino to express how this film's aspirations are out of its reach. And they may be right, insofar as this movie dialogue and action are quite the same as say Pulp Fiction. The question is: was it the director's intention to actually try to equate Tarantino's film? I'm not so sure.

Yes, Tarantino's influence is quite obvious. It is gangster flick with quirky characters and where things slowly get out of hand. But are those elements Tarantino's exclusive domain? Don't other films make use of such tools in their narrative toolbox? Of course they do! My point is no film is made in a vacuum and the fact that one of the critics' main arguments is the similarities with Tarantino's work, is a testimony to the director's work.

My opinion is "Arkansas" uses some of Tarantino's themes to tell an original story, all the while creating a mood of its own. Liam's character is an interesting portrait of a smart outcast who struggles to find meaning in life. His partner offers a funny, self-deprecating look at hipster culture while never completely muting its relevant criticism on our society. It's not overdone, and it's there to make dialogue interesting and thoughtful, sparing us constant comedic or cool-sounding dialogue. The overall restrain that permeates the movie, in the rhythm, the setting as well as the acting is a very welcome change from oftentimes overly dramatic crime movies I see trying to grab my attention.

A solid 8/10 for me. I will watch it again, as soon as I get a better display (some scenes are indeed a little dark).

Details

Official Sites:

Arkansas Page VMI Worldwide [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 May 2020 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arkansas

Filming Locations:

Mobile, Alabama, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$128,761

Company Credits

Production Co:

StoryBoard Media, Buffalo 8 Productions, Don Kee Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1