Falcon Song

This film stands out to me because of the successful creation of a story world. It seems to cut all ties from modern references in its plight to give us something nostalgic, yet entirely new. It's glossed over in a subtle way, almost like the memories of a 80's pop culture junkie, but WITHOUT any pop culture references. Falcon Song is not self aware, yet true to its cinematic heritage. This may be the film's strongest feature.

Gabriel Sunday is an explosive talent and his performance seems to charge each scene with a natural magnetism. Rainey Qualley plays it down, delivering a great opposite to Sunday and maintains this special balance as a girl with suppressed passions. Martin Kove seems to dig deeper into his character than many of his recent roles, including a humorous nod to 1930's Erol Flynn in the quirky finale. James Storm has a commanding presence and subtlety in his delivery that is solid as a rock.

The movie makes a valiant attempt at reviving a lost style. While clearly low budget, the vision is strong and true, despite its several shortcomings in the writing. Falcon Song throws away the crutches often utilized by artists in the independent arena. For this, I am left with a positive impression.

A guitarist (Gabriel Sunday) traveling through Montana to Portland gets a job on Falcon Ranch where he helps the granddaughter (Rainey Qualley) of the patriarch (Jim Storm) discover her heritage and true talents. The three are soon caught in the middle of a land war linked to the shifty Cap Davenport (Martin Kove). Doing the math, the events take place in the late 80s.

"Falcon Song" (2014) is a micro-budget indie flick with the production quality comparable to that of "The Legend of Tillamook's Gold" (2006). These kinds of flicks usually involve semi-competent local filmmakers creating a movie that takes place in their beloved location; in this case, the Billings, Montana, region (which I've been to a few times and have a couple stories to tell).

These kinds of indies usually run anywhere from $50,000-$150,000, give or take, depending on how much was spent on cast, lodging, catering, travel and so forth. "Another Kind" (2013) was made for $120,000 and is a superb example of how a professional-class film can be made for this kind of micro-budget. Even spare-change films, like "A Bothered Conscience," which only cost $2300, can be effective if the filmmaker & crew are talented enough and efficiently make use of their resources.

So how does "Falcon Song" stack up overall? Too often the filmmaking seems amateurish, such as the sometimes awkward or curiously abrupt editing. A few scenes run too long and should've been cut by half or, at least, one-third (e.g. the couple walking to the barn near the end). Thankfully, these flaws are somewhat made up by the hearty cast, quality locations and a story that generally keeps your interest despite some questionable quirks, e.g. Carrie Jr. (if you get my drift) and the giggle-inducing secret society. As a cat person, I also appreciated the several cats in the cast.

Speaking of the cast, Gabriel Sunday is cogent as the likable and amusing protagonist; he's a little reminiscent of Hugh Grant. And Rainey Qualley is quite fetching as the lass and I'm usually not attracted to thin women (she has just enough curves). Meanwhile Kove brims with shady relish playing the potential antagonist.

The movie runs 1 hour, 45 minutes and was shot in Joliet, Montana, and the Billings area (Columbus, Molt and Red Lodge).

GRADE: C

As a 1980s connoisseur, this gets my approval. If only more typical modern films could be so honest. Falcon Song painstakingly recreates the aesthetic from the era (which may be cringeworthy for some). One thing's for sure, this fantasy western is not joking around with authenticity. You'll have to grasp this concept if you want to fully enjoy. Not quite comedy, but not quite drama. It has that nice glossy cinematography, which is fairly rare in a small film like this. I felt like I was transported to some fantasy bubble where these hyperreal characters are actually commonplace. Not once did the film stop to make fun of itself (well, maybe a bit in the finale, but I won't spoil it). I'm heading to watch Uncle Buck or after this one.

Horrible movie. I do not recommend it. Poor performance, a poor script for a low budget film. The only thing that gave me a reason to continue watching it until the end was the beauty of the stunning actress Rainey Qualley.

I just took an awesome trip to some sort of eighties film throwback. Falcon Song is a patchwork of film Americana from the old school. Sure, there is a level of cheese but isn't that part of the equation? The lack of irony is what makes this stand out from other "new" 80s films. Falcon Song has a dripping wet, retro synthesizer soundtrack to boot! Here is an example of what fills the screen: vintage cars & trucks, smokin' hot rancher's daughter, rustic country scenery, Kreese from Karate Kid, oil pumps, secret societies, cowboy hats, horses, fantasy technology, magic, pirate weapons, and that's just the beginning!! The movie deals with classic troubles of the small town lifestyle. An aging rancher (played well by James Storm of Dark Shadows) struggles to keep his property when the common forces of life close in. It never gets too deep or demented, which seems difficult to steer away from in today's cinema. Its almost plays like one of those small Disney films from way back, but skews indie at times. The two younger leads, Gabriel Sunday and Rainey Qualley seem to have a promising future.