I wanted to like this movie, as I had heard some good things about it. But sorry, this isn't a great movie, it isn't a "masterpiece", or must-see film noir. It has some good ideas, and good moments, but it comes across as half baked.
Bill Paxton plays "Hurricane Dixon", a small town southern police chief who finds himself in a position where a trio of murdering drug dealing thugs (Billy Boy Thornton, Cynda Williams and Michael Beach) may be coming his way as it is determined the female in the trio, Fantasia, may be coming home to connect with family.
Dixon is joined by two LA detectives that are investigating two sets of multiple homicides of other drug dealers in California. Figuring out the connection, detectives Cole and McFeely fly out to Arkansas to join Dixon, and wait for a potential arrival of the crooks.
Of course, there is more than a few things lurking below the surface, which brings some interest to the viewer. The first is that Dixon has a connection to Fantasia, feels torn, but also wants to be involved with a major crime and do something besides arresting "shoplifters and drunks".
All this COULD make up a very good film, but this film is not. There are so many things wrong that after a while, the credibility of the film as a story is impacted.
For one, we never, ever get any insight into the criminals. Why is Fantasia with them? She seems horrified of some of the murder she sees, but then she commits the same with no issue. She is the only one with any back story at all. Any good film has some sort of motivation, but we never get any from the characters save Dixon. Even the cops from LA could have been pulled from any other characters from any other movie.
Second, is there are some times when the acting is amateurish, even with Bill Paxton. The placement of people in some scenes is awkward. Even the casual viewer will notice when a scene comes on and it feels like the cast is rehearsing it, not doing it. You will go from one well played scene to the next one which feels like an amateur play.
I place the blame on all this with the director. Not only is much of the direction flat and clumsy, he makes the mistake of mixing stereotypes with atmosphere. Could Dixon be much more of a goober? Why is he pensive around the house and a walking good ol' boy other times? "Why, I have never drawn my gun!" Who is he, Andy Griffith's Sheriff Taylor? Why, during the climax, is there an old black guy in the field on a harmonica?!
The worst is Billy Bob Thornton's work as the "Ray" character. We all know that Thornton can act, and he even wrote this undercooked stew. But geez, what does Fantasia see in this guy? He doesn't even have any slimy charm. Every move he makes seems uncoordinated, and overdone. By comparison, Michael Beach's one note performance as his partner Pluto is great by comparison, and it's not that good either.
Also appalling is the music in this film. There is ONE nice scene, a wonderful high crane shot where a bus drops off Fantasia outside of town, while an airplane is crop dusting. The music-and the imagery-is very good here. But in other places, it's a wreck. The beginning of the film is punctuated by someone riffing mindlessly on an electric guitar. Not only does it not fit the mood, it is distracting. Then there is a scene where detectives come out of a murder scene, and the guitar starts up again. You know where that kind of thing worked? In those idiotic "Lethal Weapon" movies. But here, the music is awful.
This film needed one or two more re-writes, a decent director, and someone else beside Thornton in the film. Even then, marginal entertainment at best.
Bill Paxton plays "Hurricane Dixon", a small town southern police chief who finds himself in a position where a trio of murdering drug dealing thugs (Billy Boy Thornton, Cynda Williams and Michael Beach) may be coming his way as it is determined the female in the trio, Fantasia, may be coming home to connect with family.
Dixon is joined by two LA detectives that are investigating two sets of multiple homicides of other drug dealers in California. Figuring out the connection, detectives Cole and McFeely fly out to Arkansas to join Dixon, and wait for a potential arrival of the crooks.
Of course, there is more than a few things lurking below the surface, which brings some interest to the viewer. The first is that Dixon has a connection to Fantasia, feels torn, but also wants to be involved with a major crime and do something besides arresting "shoplifters and drunks".
All this COULD make up a very good film, but this film is not. There are so many things wrong that after a while, the credibility of the film as a story is impacted.
For one, we never, ever get any insight into the criminals. Why is Fantasia with them? She seems horrified of some of the murder she sees, but then she commits the same with no issue. She is the only one with any back story at all. Any good film has some sort of motivation, but we never get any from the characters save Dixon. Even the cops from LA could have been pulled from any other characters from any other movie.
Second, is there are some times when the acting is amateurish, even with Bill Paxton. The placement of people in some scenes is awkward. Even the casual viewer will notice when a scene comes on and it feels like the cast is rehearsing it, not doing it. You will go from one well played scene to the next one which feels like an amateur play.
I place the blame on all this with the director. Not only is much of the direction flat and clumsy, he makes the mistake of mixing stereotypes with atmosphere. Could Dixon be much more of a goober? Why is he pensive around the house and a walking good ol' boy other times? "Why, I have never drawn my gun!" Who is he, Andy Griffith's Sheriff Taylor? Why, during the climax, is there an old black guy in the field on a harmonica?!
The worst is Billy Bob Thornton's work as the "Ray" character. We all know that Thornton can act, and he even wrote this undercooked stew. But geez, what does Fantasia see in this guy? He doesn't even have any slimy charm. Every move he makes seems uncoordinated, and overdone. By comparison, Michael Beach's one note performance as his partner Pluto is great by comparison, and it's not that good either.
Also appalling is the music in this film. There is ONE nice scene, a wonderful high crane shot where a bus drops off Fantasia outside of town, while an airplane is crop dusting. The music-and the imagery-is very good here. But in other places, it's a wreck. The beginning of the film is punctuated by someone riffing mindlessly on an electric guitar. Not only does it not fit the mood, it is distracting. Then there is a scene where detectives come out of a murder scene, and the guitar starts up again. You know where that kind of thing worked? In those idiotic "Lethal Weapon" movies. But here, the music is awful.
This film needed one or two more re-writes, a decent director, and someone else beside Thornton in the film. Even then, marginal entertainment at best.