One False Move

I watched this film in 1991 and I still think about it frequently. It has become a standard to compare other films. The violence at the beginning made me uncomfortable, and I almost turned it off. I am glad that I didn't, because I would have missed one of the best films of the decade. The movie's pace and tone are perfectly natural - not artificial in any way. I like the scene in the diner best. The two LA cops are joking with each other about the backward local sheriff (Paxton), and they didn't know he was standing there. The awkwardness of the moment encapsulated the film.

I think One False Move, Fargo, and The Sweet Herafter are a great trilogy of movie making at its best. All set in small - real towns with real people.

Directed by Carl Franklin and written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, 'One False Move' is a thriller starring Cynda Williams, Billy Bob Thornton, Bill Paxton, Michael Beach,etc.

Although the film on the surface is another drug deal gone wrong type thriller with violence and blood, but it has a lot going on beneath the violence of the criminal activities portrayed on screen. The script deals with the themes of the contrast between the country and the city, racism and the mask that many people wear to hide the complexities of their lives and their past. Somehow all these themes come together in the most seamless and nuanced manner to enhance the poignancy of the film. The plot reminded me of Richard Brooks' 'In Cold Blood'. It has a similar structure of criminals on the road trying to evade the law while the police is making plans to bring them in.

The acting is very good from all involved. Many of the characters in the film are not what they might appear to be initially. I have to individually mention Bill Paxton and Cynda Williams for showing a lot of range by playing character, the perceptions for whom change radically in the viewer's mind with the revealing of new facts about their past.

I have already mentioned that the script is layered, but even then this could have become a standard crime-thriller with no depth. Carl Franklin actually underlined the themes in the script by putting more emphasis on the characters, their behaviour and their past than just the violence of the criminal activities. The film ends on an optimistically in a subtle way. But personally I would have probably ended the film on a bleaker note to go with the subtext of the film. But the ending to the film still works as a hopeful message.

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.

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")

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.