The Hollow

I really like how this turned out. A congressman's daughter dies in a triple homicide and a team of F. B. I. Agents starts to investigate as to what exactly happened. Plot really does thicken and the acting and editing helped with the thriller aspect that had me on edge. If your looking for a good weekend movie this is the one!

A sort of a challenge for reviewers.

First time I watched The Hollow, I made the following notes:

* good attempt at film noir.

* overlong and quality fluctuates wildly from scene to scene. Sometimes you think you are watching an A-list production on the big screen and sometimes you think you are watching a stage play at the local dinner theatre.

* nice use of known "character actors" recycled into almost (but not quite) leading roles. Interesting.

* common problem with B-movies (B+ movies?) is that everything is much too clean. Supposedly we are in the deep south on one of the hottest days of the year and all the actors are wearing clothes that look like they are freshly dry-cleaned, no sweat or dirt anywhere, even the cars are shiny like they just left the car wash...?? (To see this done properly, get a copy of In the Heat of the Night!).

* actor playing Ray-Ray pulls ahead of the pack and steals every scene he is in. Real potential, real charisma, real talent.

And then I check out the credits and find the actor I noticed is also the writer, the director and the chief cook-and-bottle-washer.

Not too shabby.

Miles Doleac is more interesting than the movie. He's got mad skills.

That a movie doesnt have to have the best plot or even a good one, to be entertaining. What do I mean? It's convoluted, full of stereotypes and cliches, but the acting is fantastic, the dialogue sharp, moves quickly and looks great. Loved the cast with some faces you will know well playing their parts perfectly.

Great movie to turn off your brain, because it wont withstand much scrutiny. Just enjoy the interactions from the hard drinking FBI agent, to the corrupt town elder running the show, the damaged vets, genteel ladies, tough Northerner female FBI agent, the bad cop and his toady, all set against a backdrop of gospel spouting rednecks. Probably will never go back and watch it again, but it kept my attention and that's saying something.

I must complain about the polarization of these reviews. This movie is neither a 1 nor a 10. It's a solid somewhere right in the middle. Most of the actors have been around awhile and done interesting work. The hick town is believable and the characters are, too.

Best to me, though, is the script. I swear the dialogue is straight out of my youth.

So haters and trolls, begone. Stop messing with folks who really care.

I really wanted to like this movie. As I began watching I couldn't understand the negative reviews. I quickly began to see the issues, but I kept watching. I never felt suspense over the murders, and even though that wasn't the intended focus, it was the reason for the entire movie. Most of the characters were expendable, I had little sympathy for the characters that were developed because they were not well developed, and there was no tension or build up to the very lackluster end.