The Standoff at Sparrow Creek

Sometimes indie films can be a little self indulgent and wayward but not so here. This is an assured and confident piece of work from a first time feature director and I will be looking out for more of his work.

Essentially a one set multi player piece held together by some taut direction and solid performances by Dale & Mulkey in particular, which doesn't try to be too clever.

The opening scenes place us in an unfolding story without exposition and treats the audience as intelligent beings who will follow along and listen and learn - great🙂 The plot has a couple of twists but nothing unreal and the denouement is tragic and moving. As a commentary on the place America currently finds itself in, particularly after the January events in the capital, it is apt and believable.

At 90 something minutes this well worth the investment, give it a go.

Not sure about these real high ratings on this one, explain this edge of the seat thriller, high intensity film you are all watching?. It's mediocre, slow, nothing much happens and that's about it.Guess everyone is different but to me this is just a one to watch when you run out of time and find nothing else before you stumble across this.

Certainly intriguing enough to keep me engrossed throughout and it kept me guessing. But some of the plot elements were nonsensical and the ending seemed more convoluted than it needed to be. Good debut for the writer and director Henry Dunham.

Seems more like a play than a movie and is well enough acted. I liked the performance of young Ned Stark Robert Aramayo who for me was the standout with his small contribution to the story.

The tale overall was pretty implausible but it made an interesting 90 minutes. Certainly not as brilliant as some of the reviews say and the ending was a bit daft.

Still worth a watch all the same.

Militia members gather underground in the aftermath of a mass shooting to discover something disturbing. An AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, the type used in the attack, is missing from their cache. Interrogations ensue, tempers flare and threats fly as they try to discover who among them knows something before the police arrive. Confusion, mistrust and fear spike as word comes that an extensive plot is underway and neighboring militias are involved in something ominous. Everything depends on where and who the information comes from and truth is in short supply.

This fast flowing and gripping gun culture thriller contains a wonderful cast of characters including a lone wolf, informant, tech geek, ex police officer, quirky and enigmatic leader, old timer and white supremacist with a criminal past. Lines are delivered like rifle fire and it takes concentration to follow the action. There is pleasing depth in this dialogue and intriguing mystery about where the conversations will take the story. Actions seem plausible and the actors are more than convincing. Lots of testosterone and guttural grunting all around. The film was shot in Dallas. This was according to the director who was at this world premiere and midnight madness showing of the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.