Split Lip seems to fall victim to a filmmaker trying to do a little too much. An impressive undertaking to be sure; writing, shooting, directing, and editing, Sheffield appears to have bit off a little more than he can chew. Shots and scenes often drag on for longer than they should, as does the movie which could be 20 minutes shorter if shots weren't thought of as precious as they appear to have been. Action scenes are lost to quick cuts, uninspired sound design, and occasional flashes of a bright who-knows-what. Despite the cast seemingly giving it their all, tension is lost from the constant synth drones that don't allow the viewer to experience highs or lows with anything that may be happening.
The story, while basic, is harder to follow than it should be. The motivation for almost every character is lost and, while there's nothing wrong with a simple ex-hit(wo)man on the run story, this movie teases more depth than we get to see. Reveals happen too late and are almost too inconsequential to make up for the lack of plot preceding them.
All that being said, there is a lot of potential for what could have been here. The lead character Set, played by Dorée Seay, doesn't get to showcase what range she may have, falling victim to a lack of dialogue until a monologue at the very end. She holds her own in action scenes but the script never lets her character shine above her determined stare-downs.
The leader of the hitman organization, played by DeJean Brown, gets an introduction that promises more than he's ever allowed to deliver. He nails his expository monologues but the film seemingly ends before the story he's telling gets a satisfying conclusion.
"Sidekick" Samuel, played by Chris Labadie, lends the movie some much needed levity. While his character never exactly feels like he belongs in this movie, it makes me wish that the team had leaned into what he was doing even more and allowed for a movie this tonally dark to have a little more fun. His anxious excitement and comedic run-on quips, while potentially clashing with his dramatic lows, were a breath of fresh air.
While commendable for a small crew to just get a feature like this made, its one-note tone and lackluster script make it hard to recommend, especially with its runtime, but there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for all involved in their future projects.
