Gerald Wright's Movie Coverage
SHOTGUN STORIES MOVIE REVIEW
Directed by: Jeff Nichols
Running time: 92 minutes
Release date: March 26, 2008 (IFC Center-NY), followed by national platform release
Genre: Drama
Distributor: International Film Circuit
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Ever since the Shakespearean era of the 1600s when revenge drama reigned with English writers, a cycle of revenge seems to ignite audiences' appetite to attack someone or somebody. The anonymous playwright of The Revenge Tragedy said, "When the bad bleeds, then is the tragedy good."
In this thought provoking poignant film, revenge is considered to be the ultimate success. Shotgun Stories is reminiscent of Death Wish (1974), Payback (1999) and 21 Grams (2003). Director Jeff Nichols takes another look at this premise and shows there is no victory in revenge. This film explores a feud between two sets of brothers following the death of their father.
The movie opens with brothers Son (Michael Shannon of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and Bug), Boy (Douglas Ligon) and Kid Hayes (Barlow Jacobs) seen in a rural southeastern town in Arkansas. The deceased father is never actually seen in this film. Kid and Son work at a fish hatchery. Son also has a gambling problem. The unemployed Boy coaches the local youngsters' basketball team. Life has not been kind to them nor their mother. These brothers are the first set of siblings who were abandoned by an abusive alcoholic father.
The father moved on and later in his life found religion and sobriety. He then started a new Christian family and fathered a second set of sons, Cleaman (Michael Abbott Jr.), Mark (Travis Smith), Stephen (Lynnsee Provence) and John Hayes (David Rhodes) who now run a successful farm. The difference in morals in the father's latter lifestyle was quite apparent as he named his first male offsprings with names of Son, Boy and Kid, while giving his second set of sons "Christian names."
The death and funeral announcements of the father makes the news in this small community and it brings the half brothers together at the grave-site. Bad words cross the two sets of brothers at the funeral, bitterness escalates and a feud erupts. The dead father inflicted a life-long misery that hung over the first set of brother's heads. Their mother Nicole (Natalie Canerday) was left to raise them and instilled in them when they were children that it was valid for them to be angry.
As the movie evolves, a life is taken and then this act is retaliated. Eventually, as the characters get to their boiling points; however, the characters kept their thoughts and emotions subdued. These emotions echo the cinematic feel of the landscapes which expose on screen breathtaking cottonfields and farmland. This directing choice was a very effective move for Shotgun Stories. The viewer feels a real sense of tension which is heightened through the visuals in the film.
It would be unfair to give more details of scenes away as spoilers. The plot of the film is essentially basic. On the surface, all vengeance movies have similarities. They all display that same dramatic tension as the audience watches someone handle the repellent task of killing his enemy or foe. However, I can say Shotgun Stories has a convincingly complex finale that is most satisfying.
The honest portrayal of the characters in this cast was amazing. Michael Shannon is riveting in his performance as Son Hayes. He exhibits a surly demeanor that really made the script come alive. Though the script is low-key, it was very explosive in its volume of intensity.
Shotgun Stories has been Nominated for a John Cassavetes Award at the 2008 Spirits Awards. This is a characteristically taut piece of filmmaking from Jeff Nichols.
FILM RATING (B)
To view trailer for Shotgun Stories, click here
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