Devil's Peak

IN A NUTSHELL: Set in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, the movie tells a story about a family that is dominated by a crime lord who uses his fists to control both them and his business. When his son meets the girl of his dreams, desperately wanting to escape the life he is expected to lead and free himself from the clutches of his father, he is forced to go head-to-head with the terrifying man who will stop at nothing to ensure loyalty from all of those around him.

The crime thriller is directed by Ben Young. It was written by Robert Knott, based on the novel Where All Light Tends to Go by David Joy.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: This movie is not appropriate for children.

We see murder and attempted murder.

Profanity, including F-bombs and other crude language Suggestive content Lots of alcohol Talk of drug use Blood splatters Suicide

THINGS I LIKED: The fantastic cast includes Billy Bob Thornton, Robin Wright, Brian d'Arcy James, Jackie Earle Haley, and Hopper Penn, the son of Oscar winner Sean Penn and Golden Globe winner Robin Wright. I didn't even recognize Billy Bob Thornton the first time he appeared on screen! Robin Wright was almost unrecognizable too. They both truly disappeared into their characters. Everyone gave excellent performances.

It must have been a great experience for Robin Wright to perform with her son in a movie. He received a Masterclass from her and Billy Bob Thornton.

The last hour is pretty intense and suspenseful.

The story is, at once, both hopeful and sad.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Acts 1 and 2 are slow-moving but hang in there. Act 3 will pick up and pay off.

It's never any fun to spend time in the gutter with people in the drug business like these characters.

Based on the title, I thought there would be more physical mountains and peaks to climb in the movie. Instead, they are emotional mountains and peaks.

I wish we could have seen more of the relationship between Hopper Penn and Katelyn Nacon.

I love Billy Bob Thornton movies, but why he took on this script is a puzzle? Maybe as a favour to Sean Penn, whose son, Hopper Penn plays his son in this. He has his daddies name and somewhat of his hangdog looks, but acting talent and screen presence ? Nooo, at least, not yet. But then again, with the tired dialogue that the cast has been given, there are no outstanding performances here. Entirely populated with cut out characters , the psycho drug boss, incompetent minions, downtrodden wife, trailer trash mistress, corrupt police. And Its difficult to even tolerate, never mind to like, the young lovebirds, who we are supposed to be rooting for. Hence after 50 odd minutes of watching, I decided, I don't care what happens in the final half, and care less about who it happens to.

No plot spoilers, because, frankly, its a cookie cutter plot too. Its been done a hundred times before, probably 90 odd of them better.

And a mention of the video/audio quality. The video is overblown, daylight glare gives faces a cookie dough complexion, its impossible to get decent contrast, night scenes are bearable. This is also apparent in the the trailer as well, so its not a case of a bad copy. The dialogue audio is likewise overblown. In every scene, inside, outside, in a car.. they all sound the same, the rendition of the USA national anthem is..ermm..striking! This is magnified by the almost complete lack of ambient or atmospheric sounds, night scenes with barely a chirping cricket or rustling tree, street scenes with no traffic noise, restaurant scene with hardly a mumble from the other dozen or so patrons. It all sounds very claustrophobic.

Now that I have had a break, and some might say, a bit of a rant? I will attempt the next 50 minutes. If it improves, I will return and edit, but I doubt it.

The first 30 minutes I wasn't sold at all on this. Seemed like cliche, overdone premise with the same stuff I've seen a hundred times (which it kind of is). That being said, if you can get past that the rest is a pretty darn good indie film.

As the plot goes along the tension ramps up and you get a nice set up for the finale. I was definitely engaged and wanted to see Billy Bob's son escape the clutches of this meth littered backwoods town.

The acting really carries the script thru til the end, with Billy Bob and Hopper Penn leading the charge. It's definitely not perfect, it's low budget production quality and if you can get past those things it's an entertaining little movie. 6.4/10.

Devil's Peak is based on the 2015 book Where All Light Tends To Go by David Joy. It explores a complex father/son relationship set against a backdrop of crime and corruption in small town America. Thornton and Wright are at the very top of their game, inhabiting their characters in a way that is at times haunting and heartbreaking. Thornton is mostly terrifying as Charlie McNeely, the drug king pin of the Appalachian mountains, but has moments of levity and humour that give his character an interesting depth. This slow burn of a film brilliantly wraps up with some very unexpected twists, turns and changing allegiances that leave the audience on the edge of their seat. The film takes you on a journey and is a very satisfying watch.

I didn't know what to expect, but I found the film exceptionally well made and beautifully performed. It's a slow burn, but kept me engaged the entire time. I felt a Billy Bob Thornton, Robin Wright and Hopper Penn truly inhabited their characters and gave believable and moving performances.

I think this movie has been unjustly judged because perhaps politically it doesn't speak to the current trends, but that shouldn't discount the merit of the story.

While slow in the beginning, by the time it ended I truly felt the story had gone together to leave me satisfied. While not a perfect film I enjoyed it, loved the mood and I'm not sure why this movie has received the hate it has.