Lebende Ziele

Clay Pigeons is a great movie with an original plot, which is hard to come by these days. The acting by Joaquin Phoenix and Vince Vaughn was spectacular! I don't think that you could find better actors for these parts. They made the movie even better than it was, which says a lot. The movie also has a great ending that you wouldn't really expect. If you haven't seen this movie, you should really check it out! You won't regret it!

A young man ,Clay, who lives in a small town witnesses a friend commit suicide because of affairs Clay has had with his girlfriend. Clay covers the suicide up to make it look like an accident, however death and murder continue when Clay becomes involved with an affable but murderous cowboy.

Joaquin Phoenix is very good in his role and works extremely well on screen with Vince Vaughn who is always great to see in anything. The cinematography is top notch and the music works incredibly well to all round create an off beat, interesting and watchable effort. The ending could have been better but this an enjoyable 'independent' film none the less.

"Clay Pigeons" was a pleasant surprise to discover. Director David Dobkin, working with Matt Healye's screen play, has created a film with a western flavor in which a young man has the bad fortune of being around when different dead bodies are found; it doesn't take too long when Clay will be implicated in them.

Clay is an auto mechanic who made the mistake of having an affair with one of his buddies' wife. Earl reminds Clay at the beginning of the film when he decides to kill himself. He is convinced his death will have "Clay" written all over it. What's more, his widow, Amanda, the young and sexy woman who had the affair with Clay wants to continue the relationship now that her old man is gone. Clay, who has been scared out of his mind with what he had witnessed wants to be millions of miles apart from Amanda, who keeps pressuring the young man for sex.

One night at the local tavern, Lester Long, a stranger to the town, witnesses how Clay slaps Amanda in front of everyone because he has had it with her. Lester, who appears to be a friendly guy, strikes a conversation with Clay and invites him to go fishing in a nearby lake. That same lake is the place where Clay had taken the corpse of Gloria, who was killed while having sex with him by the deranged Amanda. Little does Clay know who his new friend really is.

When the FBI is called to investigate Amanda's own death, things begin to spiral for Clay. Everything is out of control. Agent Shelby thinks Clay is the one responsible for Amanda's killing and a string of others like it in the area. Clay puts two and two together and he realizes who is the killer and puts a plan into action. The last thing we see is Clay leaving town and driving in the opposite direction.

Joaquin Phoenix makes Clay come alive in a great reading of this character. Mr. Phoenix is at times the confused man who is perplexed and wonders how anyone can be accusing him of the crimes he supposedly committed. Vince Vaughn is perfect as the reptilian Lester Long. He adds a layer to his character with the nervous laugh he doesn't seem to control. Janeane Garofalo plays FBI agent Shelby with good results. Scott Wilson is seen as Sheriff Mooney who believes in Clay's innocence.

The excellent music score provided by John Lurie serves the movie well as does the cinematography of Eric Edwards. David Dobkin directed with assurance, making this film become a good way to spend some time.

Clay Pigeons is, to put it mildly, a very strange movie. That could be just me though, as this is the first dark comedy I've seen. Despite that I had fun watching it, from the first scene (which, by the way, gives you an awesome view of Joaquin Phoenix's beautiful eyes) up till the very last. Joaquin Phoenix, once again, delivered a memorable performance as Clay. He said his lines with conviction and the right amount of emotions at the right places. I don't know if Vince Vaughn was supposed to be hilarious but he cracked me up. I don't fancy Vince much but I like him in this movie. The plot is pretty unpredictable, and even though it doesn't grip your heart with tension it will maintain your interest until the very end cause you'll be dying to find out what happens to Clay.

Overall this film is definitely worth a watch.

In a small town out west, a target practice outing with a friend kicks off a chain of bizarre events that lead a man to involvement with murder and an unsolicited alliance with a person of, shall we say, `questionable' character in `Clay Pigeons,' directed by David Dobkin. Joaquin Phoenix is Clay Birdwell, a regular guy whose lack of judgment and discretion catches up with him unexpectedly in this dark, maddening tale of morality and fate that is sometimes morose and disturbing, at other times darkly humorous, as it deftly examines the trappings of the tangled webs we humans weave. Clay has become mired in a moral dilemma from which there seems to be no escape, when he meets and is befriended by Lester Long (Vince Vaughn), a trucker passing through town one night. At a local bar, Lester observes that Clay doesn't exactly have a way with women; it gets Lester's attention, which leads to a game of pool and, later on, a casual fishing trip that, like the target practice outing, proves to be a life-altering experience for Clay. Phoenix is perfectly cast as Clay, ably conveying the effects of the dark quagmire into which he is cast by circumstances he is unable to control. His performance enables you to feel him sinking ever deeper as the story moves along, and to empathize with him and experience what he is going through. You realize that he understands his situation, and it becomes a matter of waiting to see if he will make the right decisions, regardless of the inevitable consequences. It creates a tension that makes you want to yell at the screen to tell him what to do. Vaughn is excellent as well as the cowboy trucker with the winning smile, robust laugh and a closet full of dark secrets. There's a menace behind the good-natured facade he puts on that becomes more pronounced as the events unfold. Pretty early on you know what this guy is all about, but somehow it only enhances the anxiety of the whole situation as it becomes a cat-and mouse game (with some unexpected twists) between Clay and Lester. Another notable performance comes from the charismatic Janeane Garofalo, who is surprisingly effective and credible as F.B.I. agent Dale Shelby, who comes to town when things take a turn and begin to heat up. It's a credit to her talent and versatility that she can pull this character off so well. The supporting cast includes Georgina Cates (Amanda), Scott Wilson (Sheriff Mooney), Vince Vieluf (Deputy Barney), and Monica Moench (Kimberly). There are moments in this movie that absolutely make you want to tear your hair out, a credit to the way Dobkin put this project together and delivered it. `Clay Pigeons' is a nail-biter that will keep you going right up to the end (which is terrific); Clay and Lester are characters you're going to remember, and just to make sure there's a brief, inspired reminder at the end of the credits (so stay with it all the way). Relatively overlooked during it's original release, this film should gain new life on video, and deservedly so; this is one you'll be glad you took a look at. I rate this one 9/10.