Nebraska, 1922. Wilfred and Arlette James and their teenage son Henry move to a farm after Arlette inherits it from her father. After a while Arlette decides to sell it and move to the city, as the farming life is not for her. However, Wilfred is determined to stay, and will kill to ensure that this is the outcome. This reaps a whole lot of unintended consequences.
Based on a Stephen King novella, this movie had heaps of potential. The guilt, the unintended consequences, the paranoia - all these had the potential for a tight, engaging, profound drama. Yet it doesn't deliver, just feeling listless and unimaginative. There's no real engagement, as the main character doesn't really do anything to deserve our support and empathy.
The Henry-Shannon sub-plot did provide some characters to follow but that received too little screen time.
The ending does tie everything together and provides a point to it all, but that point is quite predictable and was already apparent.
Based on a Stephen King novella, this movie had heaps of potential. The guilt, the unintended consequences, the paranoia - all these had the potential for a tight, engaging, profound drama. Yet it doesn't deliver, just feeling listless and unimaginative. There's no real engagement, as the main character doesn't really do anything to deserve our support and empathy.
The Henry-Shannon sub-plot did provide some characters to follow but that received too little screen time.
The ending does tie everything together and provides a point to it all, but that point is quite predictable and was already apparent.