Blow the Man Down

Just saw this Film at the Santa Barbara Int'l Film Fest. Really loved the sea shanty songs and wonderful acting. The plot is Fun to follow as these characters take risks and in return you become Colombo ? Follow the grocery bag full of $$ in a small sexy Maine Fishing Village little Town.

A neo-noir small town thriller that thrives on the performances of its young leads and veteran supporting cast, Blow the Man Down is at the very least, an interesting original story that succeeds in atmosphere and tone. Even if it doesn't feel completely whole enough to be acclaimed. It felt like Fargo-lite, and that's not entirely a bad thing.

6.8/10

Small town crime neo-noir strikes again, this time in a way that feels fresher. A lot of people are praising "Blow the Man Down" for invoking a "Fargo" feel which I agree it does, the spirit is there, in the form of the story and what's happening to characters, ordinary and mysterious alike. Led by a strong mostly female cast, "Blow the Man Down" is an engaging ride into the neat world of a small coastal town and the unravelment of its shadier side.

Priscilla (Sophie Lowe) and Mary Beth (Morgan Saylor) Connolys are dealing with the death and funeral of their mother and the next couple days will be a storm distress not only for them but for the whole town. A murder happens, and the rest is up to You to see. Did I mention that the town is run by a bunch of old women? There's enough fun to be had with the secrets and antics of this small port town, script provides until the very end. Directors and writers Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy are walking a fine line of using familiar genre tropes and tweaking them just enough to allow some necessary freshness while never doing an overkill at it. The structure's not flawless and pacing suffers at moments, but not at a big cost. The two young leads, together with a veteran supporting cast does a great job in the acting department, with the highlight performances being brought on by Sophie Lowe and Margo Martindale in the more villainous role. If the story and characters aren't enough yet, there's also decent cinematography - the indie, low-budget kind, but one that colors the chilly atmosphere, which is further filled with mood setting creative solutions in the music department.

I say blow him down, I'm excited to see what these filmmakers bring on next, and always down for just about anything that fits the bill of a small town crime / neo-noir / americana / rural shenanigans themes in the crime genre. "Blow the Man Down" should please the like-minded. My rating: 7/10.

...and everyone fit their role and played their part perfectly, especially the sisters and June Squibb, who is always a joy to watch.

The directing was good, but the writing/screenplay could've been better, and had plot and technical issues. The pacing was a little slow and the 90 min runtime felt like 2 hours. The singing fishermen and obnoxious score were very annoying imo. However, the cinematography and sets were great. I know the critics liked this film, and its Fargo theme, but it's not my cup of storytelling tea. It's 6/10 all going to the cast.

This is a story from the POV of the woman. All the women. Excellent sense of place and realistic portrayal of intrigue, power, protection, and betrayal. I enjoyed every minute and would recommend.