Death in Texas

Seriously, who's idea was it to cast Dern as some big rich drug lord/gangster? The guy looks and sounds like a drunk bum. I was cringing every time the camera was on him and his straggly hair, and started talking like a drunk. He may have worked in a comedy version of this story. Worst casting decision I've ever seen; that casting agent needs to change careers. Then you have Ronnie Gene Blevins all monotonic and straight faced, looking like he was bored and only there for the paycheck. I struggled to stay awake when most of the focus was on him. The only stand-out and convincing performances were by Lara Flynn Boyle, Stephen Lang and Cher Cosenza.

The directing by novice writer and director Scott Windhauser wasn't too bad for a newb, and although the stories concept was amazing, the execution was less desirable. There were many plot and technical issues. Some dialogue was cheesy and/or unnecessary. It lacked any type of action. Why just show flashes of him and the bouncer? Some nice exciting action would've been refreshing to give the audience someone to route for - and struggle less staying awake. The pacing needed improvement, as the 101 min runtime felt much longer. The score was actually not bad for a B-film, but I had some issues with the sound, as some dialogue sounded muffled and illegible. It's a shame, because this story had lots of potential, had it been cast properly with some tweaks to the screenplay. So never mind all the bogus high reviews, it's a generous 6/10 from me.

What a fun ride! Great cast! Explosive action and edgy characters set against a moral struggle to do one last good thing before your time is up. Death in Texas is as hot as the pico at the cantina, so if you're gonna take a shot, make it a double.

I enjoyed this film. Engaging storyline, with well rounded characters. I thought the cast was fantastic. It was good to see Lara Flynn Boyle back onscreen in a film. I thought the real standout actor was Ronnie Gene Blevins. He gave a great performance, and I'm looking forward to seeing his future projects.

Without giving any spoilers, it was a very satisfying ending, to a good story.

If you strip down the core of the story it is very good. However the script and execution would have lots of room for doing it better. Like if they had the time and money to hire a really good script writer and a bit better direction here and there would have improved it greatly.

Set in El Paso (but mostly filmed in New mexico), a 35-ish man is up for parole and ends up getting out of prison, we later find out after seven years. His 50-ish mom has had a hard life and is a receptionist for a legal firm. But she has bigger problems, even as a non-drinker she is experiencing liver failure. The son will do anything to help his mother live.

I really can't say much more without spoilers. It is a hard movie to stick with for the first half hour or so, it seems a bit rough and over-the-top in many places. My wife gave up at about the 30 minute mark but I was curious so kept watching. Overall I am glad I did, there is a pretty good movie in there, cleverly disguised as an amateur production.

On DVD from my public library.

This movie has so much going for it. For one, the cinmetography of East Texas is epic. The story is oddly sweet and touching but the action keeps you moving! Loved seeing Laura Flynn Boyle make an appearance on the scene again, and she was very good, but the acting by Ronnie Gene Blevins steals the show. Some nice twists keep you guessing. See it! Very well executed for a small budget and hope to see more from this movie making team.