The Devil to Pay (I) (2019) User Reviews

A slow burn

[fkiii1 · 7/10 · 22 January 2023]

This film starts off as a slow burn but gets intense and dramatic when you stick with it. The acting and cinematography in this film is decent. The first time I was introduced to Danielle Deadwyler was in The Harder They Fall so when I saw her name in this film I knew I had to watch. This film is quiet disturbing in some scenes, very character driven, you can't help but root for Lemon and her son all through the way and hope she gets her revenge.

I enjoyed the pacing and glad this film got to showcase the leading talent Danielle has. If you don't mind the slow burn with violence and grim then this film is for you.

It's a big old ugly world

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 17 October 2020]

In an isolated community in Appalachia, a truce has come to an end. They live by their own rules or "creed." The trouble involves a stolen pocket watch and an oak tree cut down after it was hit by lightening. Lemon Cassidy (Danielle Deadwyler ) with a son and missing husband presumed dead is in the middle. And she won't go half-way to make it right.

It was a good rural drama without Jennifer Lawrence. Slow and confusing at times.

Interesting

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 9 October 2020]

There are parts of America that may as well be another country or even another world. In this film, originally known as Reckoning, we learn that the Appalachian mountains are isolated and quite frankly terrifying, with the community in the film operating in its own very unique set of rules.

When Lemon's husband dies, she must fight to keep his farm working and repay his debt to the oldest family on the mountain. Their cold-hearted matriarch is ready to destroy a decade-old truce and even hurt Lemon's son to get what she wants.

Lane and Ruckus Skye have worked together to create movies like the upcoming Becky and the short The 7 Sevens. This is the first of their films that I've seen and it certainly sets a mood. A grim one, but quite a mood.

Danielle Deadwyler, who appeared on HBO's Watchmen series, is really solid in this, putting you directly into her struggles and getting you on the side of her character.

Midsommer meets the Hatfields & McCoys

[lurch-17 · 7/10 · 17 September 2021]

The Creed is the law of the mountain. Plot twists that smack you in the face. Totally fictitious unbelievable plot that binds you start to finish.

But you must pay attention to details to follow the story.

Highly recommended.

A true underdog story

[lighterthanair-82569 · 7/10 · 14 September 2021]

Very satisfying to see the payback, and from someone you'd least expect. And an Interesting look at the backwoods, wow, Deliverance on steroids, I sure hope it's nothing like that in real life.

Needed some script adjustments

[daddytoth · 7/10 · 21 January 2023]

Overall, not a bad flick. Turned out to be your basic revenge movie. However, with the unusual "mountain" people backdrop, it was hard to follow with the shallow script. A little more specific dialog early on detailing who's who and the "feud" would have helped. A feud over a watch and a tree seemed a little much, but I guess it could happen. The main character played her part well, and was believable as a protective mother. The kinfolk of the evil matriarch were somewhat caricatures, and the matriarch herself was a little bit ridiculous. Other viewers may have different opinions but, overall, it was not a bad movie. It picked up its pace fairly quickly and had a happy "revenge" style ending.

Deadwyler is great, but...

[cwbellor · 5/10 · 27 December 2022]

In the Appalachians, Lemon Cassidy is a rugged mother, raising chickens and a handsome goat. When she's not tending to the chores, she's having to explain to her son that his dad can't tuck him in because he's "off galavantin'."

One day, two scruffians show up and it would appear that they are collectors of the neo-Western sort. In actuality, they are simply the errand boys of an evil Betty Crocker type named Tommy, an "Arch" of this wild land.

In this region of the country, the people abide by a "creed" that is never explained but obviously part of a system whereby the "(patri or matri)Archs" hold sway over less notorious families. Tommy is one of those Archs and unfortunately, Lemon is tasked with reconciling a debt incurred by her husband who has been "skunked." I'm still not sure what that means. Also, keep in mind that when she passes a sign that reads, "Runion," this is the name of the family, not the place. There are more than a couple of head-scratching moments served up here. Lemon takes a detour to deliver acid to a backwoods cult and while quirky and interesting ...even a bit nauseating, it's hardly crucial to the plot.

Danielle Deadwyler's wide-eyed performance as Lemon is intense and unique enough to give the film a distinctive identity and the mother/son connection is the beating heart of the story. As endearing as those qualities are, there still isn't quite enough here to get our emotions stirred to the point of leaving us shaken. It's a thoughtful film and the problematic morality creates a good exclamation point for it to finish on, but it lands awkwardly between gritty indie drama and provocative thriller. That middle ground somehow feels soft. I have to say it deserves credit for steering clear of any "homegrown justice" cliches and just barely misses the "don't-nobody-owe-you-nothin" level of melodrama. For some reason though, it doesn't achieve the same kind of urgency we got with Winter's Bone (2010) or Out of the Furnace (2013) which is a shame considering Deadwyler's dramatic skill is on par with Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence.

Mesmerizing. Why did I wait so long?

[destiny_west · 9/10 · 26 January 2023]

I watched the mini trailer for this on Netflix and it intrigued me enough to want to watch it straight away. The intense scene between Danielle Deadwyler and Catherine Dyer in the kitchen was nerve racking. Both fantastic actresses within their own right, you could have cut the air with a knife, the intensity was electrifying.

I was completely drawn in by Lemon (Deadwyler) my heart ached for her and her son, every step of the way and I wanted things to work out for them both.

I don't want to go too much into the plot.

Yes it is a slow burning film, but I was never bored once whilst watching it. It really is so mesmerizing and all the acting is good and the scenery is breath taking.

I would highly recommend this film to anyone.

I've seen better in this genre.

[deloudelouvain · 6/10 · 19 April 2023]

The Devil To Pay (or Reckoning, whatever the real title is, who knows?) is a revenge movie, normally a genre that I enjoy, but in this case it fell short. The story is just not that good in my opinion. I don't know what happens in the Appalachian mountains in real life but this was just a bit far fetched and at the slow pace it was presented it was more boring than anything else. Danielle Deadwyler did better in other movies. Here she wasn't that convincing in her acting. I'm surprised this movie gets such a high rating on here, certainly for a movie in this genre. I've for sure seen much better revenge movies.

Producers didn't research very well

[tamelarena · 3/10 · 12 October 2021]

As someone from the Appalachians, this movie was nowhere close to anything about the Appalachian people and their ways, lol..... the dress, language, actions, the way of life - all wrong, the movie came out cleaner than everyday life. Poorly made movie. Good intentions, horrible follow thru.

A Super Hero without a costume!

[fmatt99 · 8/10 · 10 September 2021]

This was an unexpected pleasure. A film with a cast of no name actors who carry out their roles in award winning fashion.

This seemingly quiet Appalachian landscape is hardly the place one would think to find an African American woman alone with a child who knows and has abided by the code of the hills...until she is deceived and used as a vessel to start a war.

Danielle Deadwyler, who had a hand in production, turns in a winning performance as our reluctant hero waiting for her man to come home.

The direction , editing and script by Lane and Ruckus Skye along with the photography of Sherman Johnson give this backwoods tale a look that you can't turn away from.

Each character no doubt had back-stories that could have been looked into a bit more. But the sparsely worded script did the job.

Add this to your must-see list. I'd watch it again!

Not Sure What . . .

[svader · 3/10 · 26 September 2021]

Not sure what wvero else watched.

This trundles along at a snails pace and delivers nothing and the it's over.

Boring.

The montage

[laragi · 4/10 · 15 September 2021]

I couldn't get past the bad acting and the montage scene. Not for me.

Dark Appalachian Tale

[Pairic · 9/10 · 24 January 2023]

The Devil to Pay: Set in a remote region of Appalachia which is essentially self-governing, there's a Creed (Covenant) but stronger folks as always bend the rules. Lemon (Danielle Deadwyle) lives a fraught, marginal existence, her husband is missing, she's caring for her son when two heavies arrive. She is summoned to the house of a local strong woman (the heavies "mind" her child); she finds out that her husband owes the woman Tommy (Catherine Dyer) a debt and she now has twi days to make good on that or she and her son will be killed. She searches for her husband, gets a loan of a car in return for delivering vitriol to a strange Cult who live outside of the Creed. The vitriol is to bve used in a ceremony of passing on leadership. Some real Folk Horror vibes *both verbal and visual) here with the Cult's devotion to Nature, sacrifice and rebirth.. Not so much a road movie, rather a mountain movie as Lemon makes her way across hill and dale until she makes a horrifying discovery. But her quest/ordeal is far from over as betrayal and double dealing is exposed. The scenery here is beautiful but can quickly turn threatening as you transform from searcher to prey. The Cult are odd and responsible for some of the most gruesome scenes but their actions have an internal logic. Some other extremely violent sequence on the part of both Lemon and her opponents contribute to the disturbing nature of the film. Much of the horror is psychological though as lemon tries to fulfill Tommy's demands and find ways to outwit her. Reminds me in parts of Winter's Bone, the Wrong Turn reboot and Ozark but it is very much it's own film. Written and Directed by Ruckus Skye and Lane Skye. On Netflix. 8.5/10.

could have been good

[aforenw · 5/10 · 4 January 2022]

Well, great acting, great cinematography but some serious flaws in parts of the story. Kinda spoilers... ish. She didnt automatically kill the people that were going to kill her and her son? No of course not, why wouldnt she trust them??? Oh and she missed with 4 or 5 shots?? She grew up in that area... guess what? They grow up handling guns. How she shot his lower leg instead of his body, well thats because of some bad writing... make her fall and stumble as a reason, not because she cant aim a gun less than 10 feet away!!! She sure knew how to handle that shot gun in the end.

Very good film

[denise-882-139023 · 9/10 · 25 January 2023]

The story unfolds well, keeping you interested all the way through.

The main character, Lemon, is perfect; a seemingly vulnerable woman at the start turning into a strong lioness protecting her cub.

There is not a lot of dialogue, but you understand exactly the history and context that has brought Lemon into her current perilous situation as well as how it all plays out.

The backwoods people and their ancient ways brings the latent horror and violence that exists in films such as Deliverance. The ex-city dwellers frankly weird cult, brings a different type of horror shown best in films such as The Wicker Man.

Sounds odd, but it all ties in very well, making this a very compelling story.

Slow burn with poor story

[OneAnjel · 4/10 · 1 December 2023]

I'm always interested in a good revenge film and I've seen my share of opbression films. This film felt poorly thought out in its effort to remind us all of these 2 genres and of an opbression that has been seeking revival. It was well acted with good videography, despite the too-clean clothing and too-new boots on Lemon. There was a time when we all could appreciate the strong female lead being backed into a corner by disgusting vengful low lifes, but it just feels so unrealistic - the lone blck fam; the Hallowed folk who become savages unexpectedly; the pie baking devul who feels safe alone in her kitchen despite the atrocities she's purpetrated. This film couldn't decide if it was a message film or a horror film. It felt like it had an agenda. Not a complete waste of time but I wish it could have been one thing or the other.

Please excuse the misspellings as I find it is becoming more and more difficult to get my reviews through using simple language we once were allowed to use.

Fantastic acting, beautiful cinematography, and a gripping story

[bdcorrespondence · 9/10 · 6 September 2020]

I saw the film at the Atlanta film festival and I was blown away. Right off the bat. the cinematography was drew me in, with a generous sampling of panoramic views of the north Georgia mountains scattered throughout the movie. But what really made the movie memorable was the acting and the story. Danielle Deadwyler gives a brilliant performance as a woman struggling to survive and to protect her young son from untrustworthy neighbors in their isolated Appalachian village. The pacing of the film is excellent, allowing the tension to build until the story reaches an unexpected climax.

The filmmakers should be proud. They've crafted a gem.

Gripping well told and acted story

[fredodonnell · 10/10 · 11 November 2020]

I'm not given to writing reviews. But I really enjoyed the movie. Solid acting especially by the lead. Gripping storyline excellent cinematography. Deserves souch more than the score of 5. 2 imho

Many People Need To Go Back To The "Ether"

[zac-68274 · 9/10 · 7 October 2020]

Great cast of Actors giving a glimpse of Appalachia existence when survival, animosity and love create reluctant situations.

Refreshingly Original

[zpbulk · 10/10 · 19 November 2020]

I stumbled across this film by accident and watched it on a whim, but became a big fan. It features great character development, an original storyline, and a unique setting that is a refreshing change of pace. It's a very character driven story, and I was truly engaged to see what would happen to those involved. This is definitely an underrated work!

Strong performances, great storytelling

[joshuadenham · 10/10 · 7 October 2020]

Great thriller about an Appalachian women doing what she must to survive. Excellent performances from all, but especially from the lead, Danielle Deadwyler. Catherine Dyer gave me chills as the matriarchal villain. Beautiful scenic shots highlighting the Appalachian region as well. The music was hauntingly beautiful and really complimented the characters and the story. I highly recommend watching this movie.

Original

[zorro12 · 8/10 · 27 August 2021]

Explores a part of US society many don't really know about. Great underdog story while emphasizing women's empowerment. Very entertaining.

💞💞

[mabryarchie · 10/10 · 29 September 2021]

I love this movie soo much. I watched it and felt so at peace. This is gem. A definite gem. I watched it, researched the actual inhabitants, then watched it again. This is somthing good.

Danielle Deadwyler is an outstanding actress!

[wonderstone_entertainment · 10/10 · 16 January 2022]

Danielle's performance, specifically her ability to deliver a realistic cry, was something amazing to see. She's so terrific as an actress that I can't tell if she brought light to a terrific script, or if a good script brought light to her talent.