Deadfall

Perhaps the reason this film is not meeting with a better reception has to do with our current situation of senseless killings that are happening throughout the nation. Had t been placed in the theaters at a different time it might have been better appreciated. The script by Zach Dean is tight and multifaceted in meanings, the direction by Stefan Ruzowitzky keeps us in suspense until the final frame, and the cast of actors is unusually fine. It is a fine little film and deserves more attention.

The title DEADFALL is translated by the dictionary as 'A trap for large animals in which a heavy weight is arranged to fall on and kill or disable the prey.' How that title applies to his story is one of the subtle strong points in this dissection of three dysfunctional families. Siblings Addison (Eric Bana) and Liza (Olivia Wilde) are on the run from a casino heist gone wrong. When a car accident leaves their wheel man and a state trooper dead, they split up and make a run for the Canadian border in the worst of circumstances - a near whiteout blizzard. While Addison heads cross-country, killing everyone who crosses his path or who could provide transportation possibilities, Liza is picked up by ex-boxer Jay (Charlie Hunnam) who has just been released from prison for fixing a boxing match and is en-route for a Thanksgiving homecoming with his parents, June (Sissy Spacek) and retired sheriff Chet (Kris Kristofferson). Following Addison's wake of killings the sheriff (Treat Williams) loses many of his men and ridicules his new deputy daughter (Kate Mara). The story all come together at the Thanksgiving dinner at June and Chet's place - where the three families' ties are strained to the breaking point. It's there the siblings are reunited in a terse and thrilling showdown that pushes the bonds of family to the limit.

The freezing cold of the blizzard backdrop is juts right for the tension that pervades this story. The original musical score by Marco Beltrami underlines all the facets of this tale. While every one in the cast is excellent, it is Eric Bana that pulls of a very well written role in a manner that despite his actions he never loses our empathy.

Grady Harp

Haven't seen a crime thriller this good in ages, with such fast moving pace but excellent character development at the same time.

The screenplay is exciting and observant of human psychology. The acting is superb, and I guess the directing had a lot going for it too. Like the perfect storm,this just all came together and did a job of stirring me up good.

The tension built up from the start with Addison and what we learn about him and his coach. The relationship between the sheriff and his daughter, and the how the men treated her, and her stoic dealing with it...wow, I could not have handled it.

The relationship between the siblings was ambiguous but inspiring at the same time. The relationship in the family between the spouses and the son was written with such deft strokes which said so much.

The actors were fabulous. Especially at the dinner table at the climax of the story. The mother, Sissy Spacek, had such easy going wisdom about her but exploded with outraged indignation when pushed beyond the limit.

Loved the way the brother got the "L" word out of the protagonist in the climactic denouement. And it left you in the end wondering how the story would go on with our antiheroes.

One of those screenplays where you just fall in love with the bad guy and it just kills you to know he is fated, and that he has written his own tragedy as well as having been written by it.

Look forward to more of Zach Dean's screenplays.

After a heist of a casino, the criminal Addison (Eric Bana) is on the run to Canada with his accomplice Theo (Dennis Lafond) and his sister Liza (Olivia Wilde). Out of the blue, Theo hits a deer and loses control of the car that leaves the road and overturns. Theo dies and Addison kills a patrolman that comes to help them. Then he splits the money with Liza and tells her to get a ride to the border while he will cross the woods. Addison leaves a trail of blood in his runaway.

Meanwhile, the former boxer Jay (Charlie Hunnam), who was arrested for losing a fight, is released from prison on probation and calls his mother June Mills (Sissy Spacek) that lives in an isolated house with his estranged father Chet Mills (Kris Kristofferson) that was the former Sheriff. June invites her son for the Thanksgiving dinner, but he goes first to the gym to collect money that his couch owes him. They quarrel and Jay hits him and believes that has killed him. He flees and while driving on the road, he sees Liza and gives a ride to her. Soon they fall in love with each other. Meanwhile Sheriff Marshall T. Becker (Treat Williams) is hunting Addison with his men but he does not allow that his daughter, Deputy Hanna (Kate Mara) to participate in the hunting party. The Thanksgiving will end with all the characters gathering at Chet and June's home.

"Deadfall" is a good thriller with impressive landscape in the snow. The engaging story begins with a poor development of Addison and Liza and does not show the heist of the casino. But the plot is tense and the cast has great names. Sheriff Marshall T. Becker is one of the most imbecile and arrogant sheriffs that I have seen in an American movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Fuga" ("The Runaway")

This is a taut drama/suspense film with a little romance and crime thrown in for good measure. The biggest problem I'm having is deciding which was better, the well done intertwining story lines, or the detailed character development. Both were excellent, making for a movie that is quite enjoyable and well worth watching.

The actors all did fine jobs, Eric Bana as the robber who is a killer, Olivia Wilde as the little sister who maybe has outgrown her need to be protected, Charlie Hunnam as her troubled but worthwhile romantic interest, Sissy Spacek and Kris Kristofferson as his parents, Kate Mara as the aspiring FBI agent deputy, and Treat Williams as her father the Sheriff. Their performances were all worthy of this well written and directed feature.

I have never heard of the writer or director, but I plan to watch for more of their stuff. This one is not a long movie by today's standards, but the pace of the action, and the time spent letting us figure out each character are so well balanced.

Make sure your snacks are ready ahead of time as, once this one starts, you will not want to miss a second of it (or even use the pause button once it is out on DVD).

Simply put, this is a good movie. Even knowing what happens, I'll probably watch it again sometime.

This movie I saw at the New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth, NH and it was my favorite of the weekend. The writing was excellent and Bana gave yet another great performance as a violent man who was crazy and funny and charming and human. Writer Zach Dean combined the Western, crime, thriller, sports and family genres to tell a story about three dysfunctional families that are brought together by the trauma of childhood abuse. I knew where the story was going and yet in the end Dean was able to surprise me with how he got there. He did a masterful job pulling together his threads in a way that reminded me of Paul Haggis's work in Crash. Dean's story set in the modern West even included an Indian chief in what was one of my favorite scenes. Afterwards I reflected on Bana's work and wondered if he will ever reach the pinnacle of achievement we saw in the fantastic Australian film Chopper. That role allowed Bana to use all of his gifts in a way that I will never forget and which makes him for me one of the greatest actors working today.