Small Town Crime

Mike Kendall (John Hawkes) is a drunk. He lost his police job after a drunken shootout with a criminal. He finds a woman left for dead on the side of the road. He brings her to the hospital but she passes away soon after. He kept her phone and gets a call from a crass man who he believes to be her pimp. He decides to investigate her case on his own.

This is an indie crime drama with some very impressive character actors. I don't know if it's the presence of Robert Forster but I get an Elmore Leonard vibe. Granted, it's not quite the same. Hawkes is a great character actor and his elevation into the lead is very commendable. He is a compelling actor with real empathy. I like his character's redemptive story arc. That's why the money is unwanted. Getting paid diminishes his selfless act. The two henchmen are great. The movie is filled with great character actors. There is pulpy goodness here.

Haven't made a movie review on here in years, but had to log in to post this. I didn't think this would be my kind of movie, but I loved it. Favourite movie in months. The slow pace picks up so slowly that before you know it you're watching an action movie. My impression at the end was that it was like watching a modern western - set in suburban life instead of a dusty saloon town.

I was on the fence about whether or not to see 'Fatman' (I can't stand Christmas movies unless they are very dark and well done) so I decided to check out the filmmaker's previous film from 2017 'Small Town Crime'. I was immediately impressed. Almost from the word go I knew this was my kind of film. There was a dark humour about the film, but it also took itself seriously enough that it felt like anything could happen and nothing was off the cards. The balance between humour and drama in this film was nearly perfect.

The main character in this story is one of those rare breeds, where you know they are vile and the scum of the earth, but you are also on their side and rooting for them because they manage to be likeable despite it. Credit goes to John Hawkes for his fine work here. Robert Forster in this film is such a nice a touch. He has such a natural charisma on screen. His performances will be sorely missed. Anthony Anderson and Octavia Spencer are also in this film. They were some casting choices I think the movie could have done without. I don't think they had enough of a part to play in the movie to justify their star-power. I feel like lesser-known actors could have filled those roles and it may have even added to the film.

The villains in this film were well done as well. Nothing over the top or scene-stealing, however they had more than enough screen-presence and menace to be a big positive for the film. Some of the dialogue in the film was exceptionally well done. There is one scene where a character speaks about the difference between a hawk and an eagle which I particularly enjoyed. There was a lot to like about 'Small Town Crime' and if it slipped past your radar like it did mine then I would highly recommend going back to check it out.

Let's be honnest : I almost stopped watching this movie after ten minutes because I felt it was a kind of parody, quite funny but it was not at all what I was expecting. Luckily, I kept on warching, and the more the plot went on, the more I was hooked. The plot is intelligent, well built, the characters are strongly defined and the acting is perfect. Add to that a very elegant staging, a beautiful photography, and you have a pretty good... what ? Action movie ? Film noir ? Modern western ? Well, actually the movie borrows from all these genres while succeeding to exist as a work in its own right. It is both funny and dark, light and serious, touching and violent. For all those reasons I really loved this movie. Of course this not a masterpiece, but it is not either a "forget after watching" movie like there are a lot right now. PS : sorry for my English, I am French and I have not written in English for a long time

This is ARNULD again, here to to lift-up your spirits :)

I watched it because I thought it was a Budget-Action movie. Well, it was not. This movie was original, had mature acting, original shooting scenes, original dialogues & quite engaging . You become a part of the story. They do not make these kinds of movies anymore . It was serious but not dark, it had funny moments but those were not so funny that they will kill the drama or seriousness of the theme. I consider it one of my favorites. If you are happy then go watch it to become happier. If you are serious then go watch it to admire the theme. Just do not miss it if you like action movies with emotional drama mixed into them.