Mob Land

Greetings again from the darkness. As one who readily admits to watching too many movies each year, I always welcome the unanticipated joy in being pleasantly surprised by one that exceeds expectations. Doing just that is the first feature film from writer-director Nicholas Maggio and co-writer Rob Healy - a neo-noir thriller that takes place in a small rural community down south.

Now you might initially cringe (I did) at the thought of John Travolta carrying a big gun and wearing a cowboy hat as slow-talking Sheriff Bodie Davis in this small town, but I'm happy to report he never overplays his hand and delivers a truly respectable performance. However, despite the poster, his marquee name, and the gravitas he carries, Travolta is not the main focus here. Instead, Shiloh Fernandez plays Shelby Conners, a greasy-haired, drag racing, local truck driver and mechanic who shares a daughter with his town beauty wife, Caroline (Ashley Benson). The family is struggling to make ends meet in this town where drug overdoses barely raise an eyebrow.

Caroline's brother and Shelby's friend, Trey (Kevin Dillon), drags Shelby into a get-rich-quick scheme derived from desperate times. A local clinic is the front for a drug-dealer, which means piles of cash on hand, with not enough security. Shelby reluctantly agrees and, of course, things go sideways. Only it gets much worse when Clayton Minor (Stephen Dorff) shows up and informs the boys that they ripped off the New Orleans mafia, and as the fixer/enforcer, he's there to set things right.

Many times we have seen local boys looking for an easy score. Rarely are the scores easy, and never are they without consequences. Trey doesn't last long, but a strange connection occurs between Shelby and Clayton. Now he's been doing this for a while and he's very good at his job, but Clayton is struck by Shelby's sincerity. Empathy may be a stretch, but he's at least paying attention to the humanity of the situation, despite threatening Shelby's wife and daughter. It does present an unfamiliar dilemma for Clayton, serving as the crux of the story.

As you know, in small movie towns, everyone knows everyone else, so smooth-talking Clayton in his shiny black Caddy stands out like the proverbial sore thumb. Sheriff Brodie is suspicious and cautious and worried about his nephew Shelby, but there's not much he can do to keep up with the gangster. Travolta and Dorff have a couple of nice scenes together, and the film's opening sequences establish the contrast between their characters.

But it's Shelby and Clayton who spend the bulk of the film together. Dorff has most of the best lines, and Fernandez holds his own. Mr. Dorff has always been a personal favorite, and I've often wished he was cast in better movies. Mr. Fernandez was once considered a rising star, and seems to have settled into his acting career just fine (sans spotlight).

Devlin McCluskey sings a terrific and unusual version of "House of the Rising Sun" during the film, and Jason Dodson (the Maldives) plays a wonderful song over the credits, and both songs fit with the look and feel and tone and style of the film ... something that doesn't always happen. There is nothing about the film that gives the impression of 'first time director', so we will sit anxiously awaiting the next one from Nicholas Maggio. In the meantime, hopefully someone will give Stephen Dorff another perfect role.

Opens August 4, 2023.

First off, I'm not a John Travolta fan, but watched this just for him - and it was worth it. Other reviewers who say he's old and out of shape, well, aren't we all at some point?

This is a good ensemble film. Nothing great, but an interesting watch and get a lot of down home southern homilies - they are a type of religion in the south.

The problem was, that everyone was a philosopher.

There were some surprising performances, quiet, smooth. My favorite was Timothy V. Murphy - who played Sheriff Ben. Not a big part, but he was a great foil for Travolta.

It's not the best film around, but it has good music and it's worth the watch when there's nothing else that tickles your fancy.

Someone decided to turn on the 'Hillbilly' tropes and keep them going through the whole film. Every line felt like it was a depiction of what someone from California thought that someone who from the South might say, not the way people actually talk. The accents were horrible and the cliche filled caricatures were distracting.

This move would have gotten a higher score from me, maybe a solid 7/10 if not for the dialogue and the poor character portrayals. The cinematography was spot on and atmospheric, the music was good (Not great), and there was an okay plot, though not as fleshed out as I would have liked to have seen.

This movie was one I didn't regret watching once, but I would be hard pressed to sit down and watch it again.

Small town aw shucks down on his luck guy gets roped in by his criminal brother for an easy payday. Heist doesn't go according to plan. Things get dicey for the brothers as they robbed an interstate crime outfit. Their uncle who is the town's sheriff played by John Travolta is investigating the incident. Crime outfit sends their fixer man to "settle" the matter of stolen goods and money.

The movie has the pulse of a dying man. John Travolta is the IV drip that keeps this movie alive. That is not saying much about JT but since I am a fan I kept watching through to the end. Stephen Dorff plays the same character as in Old Henry. Its just a costume change for him basically same speech same tone.

I think most people will stick with the movie because they know how it will end. Its just a house fire and yet we can't resist staring.

5 stars for JT's appearance.

A film we have seen a variation of a bunch of times, it really never gets old, if done well. Similar to No Country for Old Men, this time in Georgia and with a cast that mostly drags this out a bit much. Fortunately there are some interesting settings and set pieces that are a bit out of the norm and add a level of realistic grime, such as all the worn out vehicles still on display. There are really no protagonists here to get behind, but I liked Stephen Dorffs character and performance the most. His script was on the nose for the character, and although predictable, seemed the most convincing. Good show, but has some odd plot holes scattered around and then also the camera work was a little too hand-held for my personal taste. Im not big on wobbly/shaky frames, even if because it has to be done on the cheap.