Deadfall (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'Deadfall' (directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, of 2008's Best Foreign Film winner, The Counterfeiters) concerns Addison (Eric Bana) & Liza (Olivia Wilde), a brother/sister crime team who are on the run from a casino robbery gone wrong before their car loses control on a snowy road & crashes. When a state trooper happens upon the wreck, Addison shoots him in cold blood. Addison decides that he & Liza must split up as they make their way through the bitter cold wilderness in a near-whiteout blizzard with the goal of reconnecting near the Canadian border (to cross it).
Liza waylays a truck driven by Jay (Charlie Hunnam), a recently paroled man (and ex-boxer) who is on the run, trying to avoid returning to prison. Jay is headed home to have Thanksgiving dinner with his mother, June (Sissy Spacek) & father Chet (Kris Kristofferson), whose house is close to that border. Meanwhile, Addison heads cross-country - creating bloody mayhem in his wake - and stays 1 step ahead of the manhunt for him. Everything culminates at Jay's parents house; where, by chance, the siblings are reunited in a terse, tense showdown that pushes the binds of several families to the limit.
I liked 'Deadfall' enough; particularly the beginning & end. But the script has problems. There are allusions to an incestuous relationship btwn. Addison & Liza that doesn't go explored, yet is arguably more interesting than the one that develops btwn. Liza & Jay; even though they make a handsome couple. Addison is the most intriguing character - a cold-blooded killer who also happens to protect abused women & children. Late in the movie, when he takes June (Spacek) hostage, he's actually gentlemanly. Unfortunately, by the end, he is regresses into a generic lunatic baddie. Any character development comes to a halt & backpedals.
The best thing about 'Deadfall' is the snowy wilderness setting. The freezing, blizzard-like conditions lend a powerful sense of atmosphere; almost like another character itself. And Shane Hurlbut's photography captures the stark, whiteout exteriors that become settings for brutal violence. The snow falls so heavily that the police must use snow mobiles to travel everywhere. I actually get the impression that the snowmobiles may not have been a script choice, but an inevitable necessity.
The film's basic framework is stellar & certainly contains some intriguing elements, but with a running time of 88 min., the film is simply too short to properly address its themes, situations, character interactions & developments. Everything needed more breathing room. While the final conflict has power, tension and, even poignancy ... the climax should have felt more powerful, more tense, & even more poignant. So what should have been a crackerjack movie is only a good-ish 88 min. diversion. I still recommend it for the moody setting & acting (I mean, hey, look at that cast - very difficult to get bad performances from that group).
Liza waylays a truck driven by Jay (Charlie Hunnam), a recently paroled man (and ex-boxer) who is on the run, trying to avoid returning to prison. Jay is headed home to have Thanksgiving dinner with his mother, June (Sissy Spacek) & father Chet (Kris Kristofferson), whose house is close to that border. Meanwhile, Addison heads cross-country - creating bloody mayhem in his wake - and stays 1 step ahead of the manhunt for him. Everything culminates at Jay's parents house; where, by chance, the siblings are reunited in a terse, tense showdown that pushes the binds of several families to the limit.
I liked 'Deadfall' enough; particularly the beginning & end. But the script has problems. There are allusions to an incestuous relationship btwn. Addison & Liza that doesn't go explored, yet is arguably more interesting than the one that develops btwn. Liza & Jay; even though they make a handsome couple. Addison is the most intriguing character - a cold-blooded killer who also happens to protect abused women & children. Late in the movie, when he takes June (Spacek) hostage, he's actually gentlemanly. Unfortunately, by the end, he is regresses into a generic lunatic baddie. Any character development comes to a halt & backpedals.
The best thing about 'Deadfall' is the snowy wilderness setting. The freezing, blizzard-like conditions lend a powerful sense of atmosphere; almost like another character itself. And Shane Hurlbut's photography captures the stark, whiteout exteriors that become settings for brutal violence. The snow falls so heavily that the police must use snow mobiles to travel everywhere. I actually get the impression that the snowmobiles may not have been a script choice, but an inevitable necessity.
The film's basic framework is stellar & certainly contains some intriguing elements, but with a running time of 88 min., the film is simply too short to properly address its themes, situations, character interactions & developments. Everything needed more breathing room. While the final conflict has power, tension and, even poignancy ... the climax should have felt more powerful, more tense, & even more poignant. So what should have been a crackerjack movie is only a good-ish 88 min. diversion. I still recommend it for the moody setting & acting (I mean, hey, look at that cast - very difficult to get bad performances from that group).