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Bad Country (2014)
A period location thriller with no discernible period, location, or thrills.
This movie felt like one big missed opportunity. Though there were wonderful performances by Matt Dillon and Bill Dukes (in a smaller supporting role) and an admirable effort from Dafoe, who was presented with a paper-thin character, but the good cast (which also included Amy Smart and Neal McDonugh) was given very material with which to work.
The plot elicits practically no tension. For a story about a man on the inside, the film never even attempts to create suspense as to whether or not the organization on whom he is informing will learn of his betrayal. What tension might have existed would have come from the surprising number of shootouts, but these are presented with cinematography and editing better suited to a low-budget action movie, and we never fear for the characters' safety during these skirmishes.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment for a period location piece (the film takes place in 1983 in Louisiana) is that the sense of period is never pushed, the sense of place never developed. The only effort at art direction seems to put identical mustaches on the two protagonists and ensure that none of the cars is a recent model. The clothing, the dialog, the scenery all seem very modern, and with the exception of a few entirely tangential bayou shots during the film's opening monologue (there are attempts to make up for the script's narrative shortcomings by employing a voice-over, which fails to add anything to the story except the opportunity to enjoy Dafoe's delivery) there is nothing in the staging or cinematography that would suggest the film's locale. The two attempts at using costume to help convey character - a wig on a lobbyist, and a cartoonish (though, again, modern-looking) suit on Tom Berenger's crime boss, are too little and poorly executed.
It seems that, in securing a great cast, the film left little budget for its initial conceit. The movie is watchable - neither the direction, acting, or even the script is artistically offensive - and it might serve as good background entertainment while you undertake a household chore. But with absolutely nothing to sink your teeth into (save perhaps Dillon bringing dimension to a dimensionless character), Bad Country is immediately forgettable.