Casey Affleck plays Lou Ford, a West Texas deputy sheriff. He is an active member of the community even though he sometimes comes off as slow or boring. Under his unassuming facade, he harbors a dark secret. He has a killing tendency, and gets more than he bargains for when he kills a prostitute and a well-known member of the community.
The movie is already making controversey with its approach to violence. It is gritty and unapologetic. It refuses to turn away when most films would fade to black. I would not call it overly graphic, but the intensity of the violence is mostly directed at women and is bound to ruffle feathers. Of course, the killing is few and far between with a slow paced psychological thriller connecting the dots, but it never seems to drag.
Casey Affleck is amazing. His character, Lou Ford, is like a shark. He drifts through scenes seemingly docile but ever ready to attack that leaves you hanging from the edge of your seat. He is surrounded by some surprising performances. Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba reach up and claw there way out of romantic comedy hell. Matthew Maher, who is usually cast as a funny side character, shows off some decent drama chops.
The film itself is very low-scale. Ford is very unimaginative and soon runs out of places to hide and people to prey on and manipulate in a small town. While his cold, souless personality makes for a decent killer, he isn't fooling anyone on the other side of the coin. Also, it seems everyone already suspects Ford, but nothing ever comes from it offering very little in the form of character interaction or progression past a certain point.
The ending is entirely unsatisfying and casts a shadow on the rest of the production. Regardless of its flaws, the film is made to get the most out of its actors and does so with flying colors.
5/10
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