The Quarry

'The Quarry' is a prime example of style over substance. This is actually a beautifully shot and wonderfully acted film. Where it lets itself down is the story. The plot is so lacking in depth and creativity that it makes for an extremely long and dull 100 minute runtime. I kept hoping for some kind of twist or unexpected turn in the story that would add some life to the proceedings. Sadly, it never came.

The one thing that keeps the film watchable is the acting, and in particular Michael Shannon. The film gets off to a very slow and understated start and to be honest I wasn't sure if I was going to able to stay awake for the entire movie. Then Shannon was introduced to the film and suddenly things picked up a lot and became a lot more watchable. Part of the reason is that his character is the only one in the film that actually has any character, but the other part is just down to some very fine acting on Shannon's part.

The big problem with 'The Quarry' is that everything is on the surface, everything is known to the audience. There is no mystery or intrigue. The only thing we can wonder about is how the film will conclude, but the story isn't really interesting enough for us to care much about that either. One compliment I can give the film is that is doesn't outstay its welcome. I've seen films similar to this that like to push the two hour boundary and they become unbearable. Still though, I'm sorry to say 'The Quarry' was a pretty forgettable experience.

Yes, it started out extremely slow and trust me, it didn't pick up. I almost turned it off about 20 minutes in but there was something about this film that made me stick with it a little longer. It's not a "whodunnit" by any stretch, they take care of that right away. But I was interested in the characters and the performances of the men. They were so relevant to today and the ongoing struggle in society over good v evil in whose eyes.

This movie isn't the best thing they've done but they're great in it. They have worked together before a couple of times and are amazing. I don't really think the movie overall is a 10, but the rating of 5 is much too low so I puffed mine up a bit. I hope these guys work together more in the future!

I haven't read the other reviews. I guess they're not great. But there's a lot going on in this movie that's probably lost on most.

I found it to be a powerful character study where each actor faces a moral dilemma. It moves along the line slowly, thoughtfully, deliberately.

The notions of ontology, of faith, of redemption, and of truth are just a few of the concepts pulled into the story.

I get it's not for everyone, but there's a lot to find if you look for it.

Shea Wigham's best role I think. I saw him first in True Detective and thought he was amazing, nothing short of tour de force! I think he also played a preacher in that one too. He just gets better and better. Michael Shannon is another tour de force type of actor. He's great as the sheriff. He can play any character and he's just a natural, I love his movies. The movie shifts into high gear and when it was over, I kept thinking "This style of movie mystery is like an old fashioned killer movie from the old days." It's just plain good and intriguing til the last minute. I absolutely loved the storyline, script, the acting was superb, especially Shea Wigham. His best acting performance I think. It had to have been someone with style and class bcz he took over a preacher's identity and preached to the parishioners. Simply amazing. The ending was intense as well. Do not miss it, take look at Shea Wighams performance. He might deserve an Oscar for this one, I'm not sure. He definitely nailed his character down amazingly.