Out of the Black

This heavy-handed melodrama of two brothers coming to grips with family scandal in a Pennsylvania mining town is too contrived for it's own good, relying too heavily on coincidence and sensationalism to be believable. But while the scenario is amateurish, the direction and performances here are very nicely executed and warrant a watch. A little less glamour would have gone a long way in making this one more lifelike. As it is, a glorified TV movie.

I really enjoyed last night's San Diego screening of "Out of the Black." Karl is a truly fantastic storyteller, and the writing, directing, acting and production value were all really great! I really think this film has a strong shot at some sort of meaningful distribution deal. Not many movies nowadays focus on story and characters (they rely on effects and star power), and I felt very drawn into the story...I truly lost myself in the film! Great "unraveling of the layers of the onion"!

This was a powerful, riveting drama set in the mines of Pennsylvania that invites comparison to "East of Eden" as a powerful coming of age film. Excellent performances and gorgeous location cinematography combine to make this an exceptional viewing experience.

**SPOILERS** Nicely photographed and acted movie who's plot take a while to digest due to the many twists and turns in it that makes you wonder just who "did it" and who "didn't". This in regard to a deadly coal mine accident in 1975, at the Steelhead Mine, that left the entire county of Cambria Pennsylvania bankrupt.

Kindly Philip Heart, Frank Thornton, ended up owning all the residential real estate in the county and now thirteen years later he passed away. Hearts greedy wife Penny ,Dee Wallace-Stone, took over his finances together with her shyster boyfriend lawyer Eugene Carter,Tom Atkins, and is going to foreclose all of her holding leaving a number of residents in Cambria out in the cold.

Among those who are to lose their farms and homes are the Malbys brothers Cole and Patrick, Tyler Christopher and Jason Wilder, and their crippled and widowed mom Elizabeth, Sally Kirkland. Their dad and Elizabeths and husband was one of those who was killed in the 1975 coal mine accident. Into the mix comes young and pretty Kate McLachlan, Jackie Aries, from New York City searching for her dad who lived in Cambria County but left her mom before she was born.

We at first are lead to believe that Kates's father was the late Philip Heart but later we have a big surprise coming in finding out just who's sweet and lovely Kate's real dad and he's anything but a stiff in a box.

Most of the movie "Out of the Black" has to do with the two Malby brothers and their struggle to save their and their mothers home and farm from being foreclosed by Penny and Eugene. We have at least a half dozen flashbacks about the 1975 mine accident that killed their dad Cal, Miles O'Keefe. In the end we get, as well as the boys, the real story behind that tragic event and that it wasn't an accident at all.

The film lags in some places especially when it comes to the documents and insurance claims in regard to the mine accident that would take a book keeper or qualified CPA to fully understand but it. The claims, have a lot to do with the legality of the Penny/Eugene takeover of the local proprieties that in the end lead to an explosive conclusion. Where a number of the main characters in the movie end up either dead or wounded.

You get a bit of a let down at the end of the film because it doesn't really seem to tie all the loose ends together and leaves a lot of things that are in the movie up in the air. You never really know what was the reason for Cal death. Was it suicide? what was the relationship between Elizabeth and Philip Heart before and after Cal died?

You also don't get a clear understanding of what was going on in the mine between Cal and the then coal miner and now Sheriff, of Cambria County,Bill Masterson, Jack Conley,just before it blew up. There's also the shooting of Elizabeth that left her crippled for life by a young Cole. Was it a terrible accident, that's never fully explained. Still the fine acting by all involved makes you forget a lot of the plot-holes and pitfalls in "Out of the Black" and also makes the movie well worth watching.

I saw this film in Los Angeles and found it to be a brilliant character driven story, that was well acted and passionate. I went with a friend and had very few expectations. I had seen Tyler Christopher on General Hospital and the Pretender but had no idea he was doing movies. His character "Cole" was very reminiscent of a young Marlon Brando in 'Streetcar'- interior and smoldering - Wow! Anyway, Jeffrey Lyons had given the film an excellent review so we decided to check it out. I'm always a little skeptical of indie films but this one I will say, was excellant. Dee Wallace played a great antagonist, and Sally Kirkland's character, who was a mute, was fantastic. Unlike the big studio films, this is a movie with depth and heart. It was both involving and suspenseful without the use of special effects. The only negative was maybe the ending, which held out on the relationships and there resolutions, but I guess you can use your imagination. I gave this film an eight and a half out of ten.