Dogwood Entertainment, Ginny Mule Pictures, Image Entertainment
Hal Holbrook, Ray McKinnon, Walton Goggins, Mia Wasikowska, Carrie Preston, Barry Borbin, Dixie Carter, Barlow Jacobs, Anthony Reynolds
This is a really good film. It’s just so damn slow. It seems like it will never get going, and there is so little action. But it’s still such a great story, so I feel conflicted in writing this review. This move stayed with me, and all in all, I felt the time spent watching it was well spend. But it’s just so damn slow.
This film is based on a short story by William Gay called, “I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down”, and it must be a wonderful story. Hal Holbrook is such a wonderful actor, and this is the film appearance of his wife, Dixie Carter before she left us. Abner Meecham (Holbrook) is a crotchety old guy who’s somewhat ungrateful son put him in a nursing home. But there aren’t really and real bad people in this film. Abner spent his life working hard on a farm, and obviously can’t keep it going by himself. It’s a hopeless dream, but it’s still his dream. So, fed up with the Nursing Home scene, he just takes off and heads home. It isn’t long till he’s apprehended, but he mangaes to bribe the guy who was paid $20.00 to bring him back to drive him back to his farm instead.
He arrives to find a family living on his farm, and claiming that his son leased the farm to him with an option to buy. But this family is headed by an alcoholic bum with a nasty streak a mile long. He plans to buy the farm, but hasn’t even begun to plant the fields. So Abner takes a spot in the guest shack, and decides to wait them out.
Not long before the son shows up and then everything gets complicated. Dad wants to be home, but can’t handle it. The Choats want to buy the farm, but they can’t see eye to eye, and have plenty of conflicts on their own. And then on it goes. Dirty tricks, gun fights, double crosses, and lots of meaness continue until finally it comes to a conflict.
It’s great cinema, and Holbrook is, as I said earlier, AWESOME in this role. But it’s so DAMN slow!
Watch at your own risk. If you are in a mood to watch an excellent story that takes a while to develop and with no great excitement, it’s a well developed character study. If you like that kind of movie, you’ll really enjoy this one! BUT IT’S SO DAMN SLOW!!!
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
