Two Step

In this Texas thriller we follow the character of James, a college dropout with no family, and Webb, a con who just got released from prison and has a debt to pay. The film starts off with James(Skyy Moore) coming home from college to come to his grandma's house to find her in the middle of a stroke and eventually die in the hospital. James meets with his grandmother's lawyer (Brady Coleman), who tells him that he has $85,000 of inheritance money and his grandmother's house and belongings. What can possibly go wrong? While at the same time Webb(James Landry Hébert), is released from prison and heads home to find his girlfriend Amy(Ashley Spillers), leave him and runs off with his $50,000. At the same time the neighbor next-door Dot(Beth Broderick), who teaches the 'two step' to school kids befriends James. Webb is met by his "boss" Duane(Jason Douglas), and finds out that he owes him $10,000 because Duane's been looking out for Webb while he was in prison. With a steep debt to pay Webb decides to do what he does best to get the money he owes. And so these two characters (Webb and James) intersect in each others lives that will change their lives forever.

"Two Step" is the directorial debut of Texas native Alex R. Johnson. The film premiered at the SXSW 2014 Film Festival, where it was met with positive critical acclaim. Sadly the film had a very minimal theatrical release in the middle of 2015, and will most likely not come out on DVD, or Blu-ray. It's a shame that the film didn't get the distribution that it deserved since it proved to be one of the best films of the year. (In my opinion it's my #1 film of 2015) Most people have never heard of this film due to the lack of distribution it had; I was fortunate enough to have amazon prime and was able to see this masterpiece and share it with my loving mother.

"Two Step" in my words is "Fargo in Texas", and I don't think I'm far off. You can see that Johnson was definitely inspired by the Coen Brothers , because it has that Coen Brothers vibe to it from the characters to the humor and to the violence. All the acting in the movie is amazing, there's no dull performance, or moment in the film. James Landry Hébert, as Webb, completely sold me, he had without a doubt the best performance of the entire film. Skyy Moore gives a boasting performance as James, and Jason Douglass (who's on The Walking Dead) gives a great performance as a gas n' go manager and part time criminal.

"Two Step" is a gripping movie that has you on the edge of your seat wondering what can possibly happen next. All the actors in the film are not major league actors which I love and I can't wait to see what they'll do next, especially Hébert. Alex R. Johnson is a new talent to look out for in the future and I can't wait to see what he'll do next. If you have amazon prime definitely check out "Two Step", it will be worth your while.

This movie approaches great many times, and I would recommend it as an exciting story with some great acting that drags a bit here and there. Webb, our antihero, realizes his life has gone upside down while he was in jail, when he finally gets home to find his girlfriend has dumped him for his boss, stolen all his money, and he owes said boss $10k.

James is a college dropout who's grandma was swindled by Webb previously, and their stories intersect when Webb tries again. James is held prisoner in his grandmother's home while Webb begins to spiral out of control.

Webb seems truly upset and confused why he's being pushed away by people he considered family. It seems especially true with Duane, whom he looked at as perhaps an older brother.

There's a fair amount of violence, and the way James Landry-Hébert plays it suggests that while Webb is committing these horrible crimes, he is genuinely upset with himself. There are several scenes where his despair at his own actions is evident; and I think the way he refuses to look at his girlfriend after killing her is a great example.

For me, Dot and her married ex-boyfriend were generally unnecessary characters, and her scenes with James were too long and plot wise, wasted time (also, don't judge me, her wardrobe was probably better for a younger woman). Duane, Webb's boss, was a great addition, and I loved his Texas-isms; as was his friend, the biker.

Overall, I would recommend this movie to someone looking for a thriller, with the caveat that there will be parts that aren't amazing. Also, how the hell does he drag that cigarette so deep, hold it to swallow his beer, then exhale the smoke? I don't understand the mechanics of that.

Two Step's narrative, actors, sound, and cinematography all deliver exceedingly well, in this fantastic thriller, drama, action, low budgeted film. These factors get better and better as the movie progresses. The characters remain memorable, the gun shots remain memorable, and the suspenseful guitar theme remains memorable. Most action thrillers are predictable, but the way Two Step's plot progressives leaves the suspense hanging throughout the entire film.

I would have given the film a 9 if not for the dialogue and acting that lacked in parts of the beginning. However, this did not decrease the quality of the exposition, as it was told very creatively, focusing mainly on visuals and actions from both James, the protagonist, and Webb, the antagonist.

The movie is violent, suspenseful, and very mature, not appropriate for ages below 11 or 12.

I didn't know much about this before seeing it, and perhaps that's why it surprised me in some of its plot developments. In retrospective, it all makes sense from the start in terms of what it is aiming for, but I guess for some reason I didn't see it. The performances here are quite good, and the two main male actors do a fine job of really driving a line between them in terns of their portrayals, as well as thematically making the whole thing work. The best performer here is probably Beth Broderick though, who honestly looks like she hasn't aged one bit in about twenty years. She looks fantastic compared to her time in Sabrina. She brings such a natural presence here to her character and brings a lot of weight to the proceedings.

From the start the film pulls you in and takes you on a wild ride that is full of raw brutality yet shocks you with compelling believable story-line. I was reaching for a seat-belt while sitting on my sofa but I couldn't even blink thinking I would miss something. Well worth your time to watch. At times the raw brutality made me jump and that is not bad but a awesome bad regarding this film. I will admit some of the actors were unknown to me but that didn't take away from their acting ability which was on point. The film made me think if that happened to me what would I do or how would I handle such a situation. Loved the movie and renting on VOD gave me the opportunity to rewind if I thought I blinked.

Pop some popcorn and get a bottle of wine and take the wild ride...awesomely great film.