Bad Turn Worse

This film is an example of that very specific sub-genre, the Texas neo-noir. That American state seems to have all the right ingredients for modern noir, with its sun-baked, dusty, dead-end towns, restless people in them trying to get out of them and places seemingly so remote that the law is run by its own set of rules. We Gotta Get Out of This Place is certainly a movie that exists in the twilight world of this sub-genre. Its story revolves around three young people caught up in a situation. Bobby and Sue plan to leave for good to go to college, while B.J. chooses the faster route of crime. He steals money from a local thug and all three of them pay the price for his actions. They are coerced into stealing money from an even bigger gangster putting themselves in grave danger in the process.

This product of the American indie scene is typified by a fine script. It's helped even further by being acted out by a talented cast of actors. A couple have some pedigree but the three kids are all impressive newcomers. The name actors are Mark Pellegrino, whom I remember from being the bungling hit-man from Mulholland Drive (2001), in this picture he's still a violent criminal but a good deal more threatening; we also have veteran William Devane, star of several 70's classics like Marathon Man (1976), who here has no more than a cameo role. But its arguably the three younger actors who make the most impact, namely Mackenzie Davis as Sue, Logan Huffman as the reckless B.J. and finally the young Chris Penn lookalike Jeremy Allen White as the dim-witted but good natured Bobby. The strengths of this film lie predominantly with the dialogue and performances, both of which are impressive. The cinematography is often fine too with some dusky shots of wind turbine landscapes being particularly standout, while the moody score put me in mind of the one used in Blood Simple (1984) and any comparison to that masterpiece of the Texas neo-noir sub-genre is of course a very good thing. The story itself is maybe a little over-familiar for those who have seen their share of neo-noirs and it doesn't necessarily pan out into anything too unexpected by the end. Still, that doesn't change the fact that this is still well worth your time and is a quality product overall.

The film opens with a quick and easy robbery. Then come the bright-yellow seventies-style credits. However do not be fooled, whilst film-quality may also suggest a seventies setting, the only other similarity with that era, is a brooding foreboding and grim realism.

The film is set in modern-day Texas. Earlier scenes are light but as the film progresses grimmer and grittier adult scenes make this uncomfortable viewing that goes right up to the edge. This is not a film for the faint-hearted.

The story revolves around three young adults who are caught up in the aftermath of the robbery. They become involved in the criminal underworld and the situation soon escalates.

This film is a modern film-noir so as is typical for the genre there are lots of twists and betrayals. Some plot twists are shown to us the audience before they are experienced by the characters, thus giving suspense, others are not.

Mark Pellegrino has a meaty role, rather like that of James Franco in 'Homefront' (2013) or even 'Tommy' in 'Goodfellas' (1990). The younger Logan Huffman plays a character like 'Tommy' in 'The Butterfly Effect' (2004). Both convince in their roles. Mr Pellegrino's character is cold, even while he pretends to be friendly and playful. Mr Huffman's character by contrast is a brooding presence. His mental machinations and robust physique make him intimidating and scarily unpredictable.

Mackenzie Davis and Jeremy Allen White play two college-student-types who get caught up in the mayhem. The two young thespians act their socks off as they struggle in the situations their characters are plunged into.

There is also good support from Jon Gries. Veteran actor William Devane, in a cameo, got it just right, and shows, as he did in 'Marathon Man' (1976), that a small role can be played to make an effective and lasting impression.

The film was directed by Simon and Zeke Hawkins. They captured great scenes of the flat Texas landscape as well as taking scary and tense scenes to the very limit of the audience's endurance. They should be rightly proud of this full-length film. Hopefully, we will see many more films from this talented pair in the future.

If you liked the 2012 films 'Mud' and 'Everybody Has a Plan', or the 2013 films 'Cold Comes the Night', 'The Counsellor', 'Love Is the Perfect Crime' or 'Homefront', then this similarly dark film-noir will appeal to you.

A grim and gritty 9/10 but a strong stomach is needed.

B.J. (Logan Huffman), his book-loving girlfriend Sue (Mackenzie Davis) and best friend Bobby (Jeremy Allen White) live in a small Texas town. Sue and Bobby are looking to leave for college. B.J. is acting up. He's jealous of them leaving and angry at their unspoken sexual chemistry. He had stolen money from their local criminal boss Giff (Mark Pellegrino). Giff starts beating on the Mexican guard and Bobby falsely confesses to the theft. Giff kills the guard anyways. Bobby is shocked that it turns out to be $20k from Big Red (William Devane) and Giff wants Bobby to repay it. Giff tells them to rob Big Red.

I like the young threesome. I'm a big fan of Jeremy Allen White in Shameless. Mackenzie Davis has a powerful energy about her. Logan Huffman grows on me with his creepiness. I do wonder why either of them likes B.J. but that's not out of the question in a small town. My first problem is Bobby's false confession. Bobby is not an idiot. He knows it's at a minimum $2000 and he couldn't pay that back himself. At first, I thought he was related to Giff and therefore not afraid of being killed by him. It simply doesn't make any sense other than the need to advance the plot. It could have been done in a different way. The Mexican could have falsely fingered Bobby before being killed. B.J. could have double-crossed Bobby. I don't buy Bobby volunteering to take the fall. I still like the threesome and I love the pulpy hard-boiled noirish style but it's hard for me to overcome the misstep.

Bad Turn Worse is a crime thriller done without big budget, but still manages to entertain. It presents good script, murky atmosphere of rural town and fresh partially ironic take on crime drama. The movie is not without flaws though, the pacing might suffer at times and despite some good twist the characters fall into stereotypical teen early on.

This is a story of three teenagers who live in Texas dusty town. One of them decides to steal from the mob, a poorly made decisions that drag all of them into gradually escalating situation. It's a bit slow to build-up on first act as the teens only exchange banters. The plot takes speed after a while, although it's still marred on a couple of scenes.

The premise is seemingly simple, yet the script is smart and it delivers nice twists in timely manner . Acting is good for the three leads, they look juvenile, desperately determined and wanting promise of better life. The chemistry works by meshing these bored boorish characters together in much more adult condition than they are supposed to have.

What set apart this movie from mediocrity is the occasional moments of fresh delivery amidst its bleak visual. Several of the scenes are interestingly done, a bit self-aware, surprisingly bloody and a very reminisces of classic pulp fiction.

Having many genre familiarities, it can be a bit stereotypical and the display of boredom might be stagnant, but with its fine performance and good material, Bad Turn Worse is an engaging human and crime drama.

I saw this film at the Toronto Film Festival and it was without question, the finest film there. I hope this film gets wide theatrical release! For first time directors the Hawkins Brothers have produced a very tight film that treats the viewer with respect. The cinematography is stunning, particularly given that the film is shot in a rather bleak part of Texas. The film was intense from start to finish. Mark Pellegrino has taken the world of bad guys to a new level. He's a local for sure, but was an original. Quite frankly, all of this cast was top rate. While there are three relatively new actors involved, I expect that we shall be seeing them all down the road - and I would certainly include the directors in this statement, as well. If you get the chance, see this gem.