Pig

Definitely not to be confused with that movie about a little farm animal from the city, this film showcases a textured portrait of a small town cop, meticulously drawn through various painstaking ride-alongs with the title character and revealing interviews with the townsfolk who have had the luck or misfortune of crossing his path. As the title character, Jim Volkert skillfully reveals a man wrought by the emotional turbulence associated with the wide range of reactions to his character and badge, as he is capriciously considered everything from a hero to a heel on a moment to moment basis. The interviews and interactions with his contemporaries poignantly illustrate the complexity of human interpretation and the multi-faceted, yet mostly unpleasant nature of law enforcement. These vignettes display some of the film's most eye-catching performances. Virginia Drda and Max Burkins are particularly sincere and endearing, providing the viewer with the occasional peeks at PiG's soft underbelly. The deliberate pacing and quirky settings held my attention throughout.

As this film was apparently made for under $30,000, I was anxious to see the results. It's impressive, and though there are some areas where the shoestring budget and lack of extras is apparent, there's nothing here that's unforgivable. I am anticipating the next Conway/Bosko production with great interest.

Pig (2001), a surprisingly poignant indie film, shot on a shoestring budget in a cinéma vérité style, follows the monotonous routine of a weary small-town beat cop, played by Jim Volkert.

This indie classic unfolds slowly but remains engaging, vacillating between brief action sequences and interviews that offer poignant personal insights that add depth and humanity to the Cop-who might otherwise come across as boorish or unlikable.

Pig features standout performances by Jim Volkert (Cop), Max Burkins (JD, the Cop's childhood neighbor), and Virginia Drda (Shari, Cop's love interest), elevate this fascinating character study of an officer jaded by years of patrolling the streets of an unnamed Ohio town.

Pig is definitely worth the watch.

As I examined the cover art and tagline, I expected the film to be about some maniacal, headstrong cop. Thankfully, I was wrong. `PiG' is an eerie, often frightening portrayal of one particular small town lawman. It's as shocking as `Kids' in many ways, and as arresting as `COPS'. `PiG' has some fresh, genuine performances, solid introspective dialogue and pacing akin to `Slingblade', with the same foreboding, ominous mood, scene after scene. Something is going to happen.

We are introduced to the title character, expertly portrayed by creepy, tight-lipped Jim Volkert, through interviews of townsfolk and fellow officers, who at some point have made contact with the officer through his personal life and tenure on the force.

Often times, independent filmmakers lose sight of the importance of a good cast. Not with `PiG`. For the most part, the actors portray the characters realistically. At times, you have to remind yourself that you're watching a movie. They play as true, 3-dimensional people one would expect to find residing in this town. And as for style, `PiG' has more sizzling mood and atmosphere than most big-budgeted Hollywood features. The filmmakers give us a gritty, probably realistic mockumentary about a cleverly unnamed small town police officer patrolling the streets of `his' unnamed Ohio town.

Still, there are things that could have been limited, if not removed entirely, to make `PiG' a better film. At times, the `jumpy' editing style is overused and really takes away from the effectiveness of a scene. The creators show us long, static, `flavor' shots of many locations. Too many, in my opinion. Less is more.

But all in all, `PiG' is a streamlined, tight, little indie, with no fluff to weigh it down. With it's documentary approach and appropriately lacking any musical score, PiG is certainly not for all tastes, but, fascinating upon the initial viewing. It's `Taxi Driver`, with a taste of `Bad Lieutenant` and the `impending doom' atmosphere of `Badlands'.

PiG is far better than average and truly `grabs hold of the viewer and never lets go'.

I've been on something of a binge of watching gritty police dramas lately and this movie did not disappoint, in fact I think it's one of the more interesting ones I've seen so far. It's certainly NOT an action movie and I think that's a big part of why I liked it. It really gets to the heart of the sort of boredom and tedious nonsense a policeman deals with on an average day. No glory, no heroics... just doing a job that someone has to do and not getting much respect or admiration or reward for it. Pig takes its time letting the atmosphere of small town life sink in... nothing much goes on in this place. The big crimes are drunk drivers and fights. There's a sadness to it all and a sense of futility... and the thinly veiled anger of the policeman. Like others I went into this expecting some sort of 'maniac cop' horror story where the officer is brutal thug who as bad or worse than most of the criminals he deals with. Happily that's not the Case. He's just a guy. Not that Pig portrays a 'good guy' either. It's thoroughly outside of that black and white realm of most police movies. The guy here isn't a saint, he's not even all that likable. But he does seem real and that is what was so refreshing after watching hours of more simplistic Hollywood fare.

If you watch this movie with the lowest of expectations then you won't be disappointed.

The lone bright spot of this movie is found in a scene that takes place in the police department. Veteran `Midnight Movie Show' co-host Dave Shurmer's turn as a pathetic chain-smoking, mumbling deputy is illuminating. Shurmer captures the essence of a burned-out desk jockey just counting the days to retirement. His total lack of energy and charisma are spot-on for the character he's asked to portray. While `PIG' is easily dismissed as an exercise in futility there can be little doubt that we will be seeing more of Dave Shurmer in the years to come.