This is not a family film. Numerous words were bleeped and sometimes I had trouble understanding what was going on in scenes where fewer words could be heard than were not heard. And ever since the Janet Jackson incident (or for whatever reason) reading lips is also out of the question.
There is a lot of excitement as the chase happens, especially toward the end. The final scenes put me on the edge of my seat. Regardless of the outcome you are looking for, I think the ending can make you happy.
I know Ted Levine best as a tough, capable detective in a suit who has to deal with a quirky but brilliant P. I., while here he is blue-collar in appearance and manner and quite convincing. But capable? As an actor he certainly is, but the character may not be any good at his job, and he is somewhat flawed as he makes the boys his priority. He even makes us laugh a couple of times.
When the boys are being "hunted", Tony and Joel, the two who are chasing them, are morons and for the first time, we have comic relief. Eric and Ronnie, also part of the chase, are bigger morons and we really get to laugh.
Michael Bowen doesn't have a lot of lines as what appears to be a sheriff but he commands respect and you'd better listen to him.
Spencer Clark does a capable job leading his brother down a dark path, while Nick Eversman has the challenge of deciding to sacrifice himself for what is right.
Martin Starr is kind of a weak link in an otherwise talented cast. I don't think Lloyd reached his full potential. He was mostly just there.
Let's also give credit to radio host Cool Breeze (I think I got his name right, but didn't see him on IMDb). Every town needs a folksy DJ who knows the people and what is meaningful to them. For example, he says our thoughts should be with the Cavanaughs after their loss.
There is lots of beautiful scenery and plenty of great looking bridges. We also get to see a nice modern bridge which just doesn't have the character of the others.
And the guitar music is great. I consider rock music to be evil, but this isn't rock music. Not exactly. It isn't quite country either. Maybe folk. A good example is a song I heard at least once, and maybe twice. With the closing credits, I heard the words "birds of prey". "Birds of Prey" is in fact the name of a song in the credits, performed by Wyoming. It is quite appropriate for the setting and both the guitar and the vocalist sound great. Other music in the movie sounds similar.
It's a worthy effort.
