One False Move

Boy, this film takes me back to the jerkwater Arkansas town where I spent several years of my youth. Bill Paxton (Aliens, True Lies, "Big Love") is spot on as a cracker sheriff who, in his words, hasn't drawn his gun in six years on the job. Well, he drew his gun seven years ago and it has now come back to haunt him and put him in a position that could get him killed.

Billy Bob Thornton (A Simple Plan, Sling Blade, Astronaut Farmer), Arkansas born himself, co-wrote and starred in this film and really pulls off the psycho robber with such perfection that I really cannot understand how a supposedly intelligent guy like "Pluto" (Michael Beach - Short Cuts, "Third Watch," "ER") could hook up with him, especially since they spent two years in jail after the last job. Joining the duo, was Cynda Williams (Mo' Better Blues) in her second film, as Fantasia/Lila. She did a super job.

As the trio heads to Houston from L.A. the body count rises and the Sheriff is put into a position where he has to act alone. False moves throughout the film just add to the tension and excitement.

This modern film noir pits three violent criminals on the run from a violent drug rip-off against two LA cops aided by a rural sheriff. The trio of bad-guy consists of a white-trash loser (Thornton), his African-American girlfriend (Williams), and their high-IQ, sociopath friend (Beach) also black. After committing multiple murders in California they high-tail to Thornton's and Williams' hometown of Star, Arkansas to lay-low. Their journey across the backroads of Texas is fraught with danger, (it's not like they don't stand out) and unbeknownst to them, the cops are waiting....

Very well done without the "look at me I'm so realistic" dialogue too often found in this much copied genre. One of the best of its kind, well worth the rental.

I have seen this movie twice. The first time, for the whole movie I was on the edge of my seat. This was an intense film. From the extremely brutal beginning to the climatic end, I couldn't relax once. I did notice the fact that race played no factor; all colors were represented on both sides. In 1992, I had seen over fifty movies at the theater so I put together a top ten list and this movie made it easily. Since I knew how the movie would play out, on my second viewing I was able to look for other things. This time I noticed though the thrilling aspects of the film were used to set the movie in motion, underneath there was an examination of big city meets rural town. Amazingly, the main characters weren't treated as stereotypes. Each character (I count six) was fleshed out but not too much. There were no judgments on which life was better or any advantages or disadvantages to either style of living. In a lot of ways the film reminded me of John Sayles' movies. In other words a movie that a lot of thought went into making it. A great film.

It sucks that it takes the death of an actor to remind you that you still haven't watched something, but that's how it was with the passing of Bill Paxton, which reminded me that I still had somehow overlooked "One False Move", despite wanting to see it since it came out, when Siskel and Ebert were raving about it for what seemed like months.

They were right to rave about it. "One False Move" is a tightly wound, taut, masterfully acted and powerfully suspenseful film. It's also written with a precision and level of realistic detail lacking in so many screenplays. I had forgotten, as I feel the entire world has, just how great of a writer Billy Bob Thornton was once upon a time. This might be his greatest screenplay, in fact. The plot (about three criminals fleeing L.A. after robbing and killing a drug dealer, heading to Arkansas to hide out) moves forward with the ruthless momentum of a shark, and with just as much bite. The opening is one of the most brutal sequences I've seen in quite some time, and the violence that erupts in the rest of the film is just as brutal. Carl Franklin directs with a lean, muscular hand. The violence occurs as it seems to in reality, seemingly out of nowhere and with surprising impact. Every death hits with a hell of a punch, you feel virtually every stab and gunshot. The characters are drawn with a fascinating level of insight and detail, and every detail feels just right. Even the most violent and despicable of people in this movie is treated with respect and is intriguing, and we really get to know them and what makes them tick. Aside from the acts of violence, this movie is filled with powerfully rendered little moments that feel as natural as overhearing a conversation or catching up with an old friend.

The biggest joy of this movie is, unsurprisingly, getting to know Bill Paxton's Dale "The Hurricane" Dixon, the chief of police of a small Arkansas town that three vicious criminals seem to be heading toward like a particularly nasty storm front, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake. Paxton is vibrant and electric here. He's utterly charming, but he's much more than he initially seems and Paxton gets to hit those notes of complexity with grace and a natural, easygoing nature. It doesn't feel like an actor playing a character, it just feels like the filmmakers trained a camera on this guy and told him to be himself. Paxton usually gets to play either a good ol' boy or a dirtbag. This character allows him to play a bit of both, and also to reveal acting muscles that those unfamiliar with his less popular work (see "Frailty", for God's sake) may not know he possessed. This is perhaps his greatest performance, although he's excellent in "Frailty" and "Big Love" as well. It's a magnificent character, and Paxton brings it fully, forcefully to vivid life.

Cynda Williams, Billy Bob Thornton and Michael Beach are likewise excellent here. All of them are magnetic to watch, even though Paxton really does run away with this movie. But the real power of the film is seeing how it unfolds, the unexpected avenues it takes and the little touches and moments that bring it to life and make it feel a bit more like Real Life than most films of this ilk. It feels like a Coen Brothers movie in subject matter and, occasionally, the thrilling ways that Franklin moves the camera. But, I daresay, the Coens would never quite bring the level of verisimilitude to the tale that Franklin and Thornton do. That's no knock against the Coens, who are among my favorite directors, but "One False Move" is so uncommonly gripping and observant, in a way that the glorious, artful playgrounds of the Coens never quite are. It's not better, it's just a different vibe, and one that really makes this movie come alive in an extraordinary way.

I usually don't watch movies on Crackle because the commercials that are interjected every fifteen minutes or so bug me, but I'm glad I did this time. "One False Move" is, unfortunately, out of print and it's nowhere to be found on other streaming services. Thank God that Crackle is at least making this forgotten treasure available to be seen. Take my advice, brave the commercials (they don't edit content, at least) and watch "One False Move". It really is an amazing film.

In Los Angeles, after a violent drug rip-off, the Los Angeles Police Department detectives find the identity of the trio – the sadistic I.Q. of 150 and college graduate Lenny "Pluto" Franklyn (Michael Beach); his not so bright buddy in San Quentin Ray Malcolm (Billy Bob Thornton); and his girlfriend Fantasia (Cynda Williams). Their further investigation indicates that the criminals are fleeing to Star City, Arkanas, and LAPD detective Dud Cole (Jim Metzler) and his partner John McFeely (Earl Billings) contact the local Chief of Police Dale 'Hurricane' Dixon (Bill Paxton) and they head to the little town. The yokel family man Dale, who is used to resolve domestic issues, is fascinated with the chance to participate of a manhunt and befriends the two detectives. But when he sees the picture of Fantasia, he recognizes her as Lila Walker and is haunted by his past, hiding a secret about Lila Walker.

"One False Move" is a little gem from the 90's and one of the best in the genre neo-noir. The first time I saw this film was on VHS in the early 90's, but now I have the chance of buying the DVD and watching it again. The dramatic story written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson is engaging and without redemption. Cynda Williams, in her second film, is awesome but Bill Paxton "steals" the film in the role of a bragger hillbilly and chief of police that sees the chance of his life of arresting real criminals but meets his past instead. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Um Passo em Falso" ("One False Step")