Dunsmore

Based on a true story, Dunsmore is a gritty, low budget redneck flick about small town bully Ronny Roy Pritcher (W. Earl Brown) who is such a despicable lowlife that he makes some of novelist Larry Brown's characters look like Ivy League Hamptons dwellers.

In the opening scene, Pritcher is blown away outside a bar by no less than 40 rounds of ammunition. The killer(s) are not revealed, but it's not difficult to surmise that they are a large group of townspeople who have simply had enough of him.

The rest of the film follows an investigator from the state attorney's office (Kadeem Hardison....and yes, he's black) as he interviews various victims of Pritcher's sadistic behavior, which is seen in flashbacks.

The film has a cheap look and feel to it, with passable cinematography and acting. Actually, the whole low budget vibe is appropriate to the subject matter.

This one of those films that you keep watching with a kind of horrified fascination. The characters are so unrealistic and over the top, it's pretty hard to take it seriously. On the plus side, veteran actor Barry Corbin plays the town's former sheriff in a small but significant role.

After a violent opening and a setup to let you get to know the characters, the movie keeps building momentum as we realize that nothing is really what it seems to be. In the end it makes you think about right and wrong without preaching at you. I highly recommend it.

I rented this movie on a whim because I had seen almost everything else at the video store and I was very pleasantly surprised. This is a film of terrific extremes, from very in-your-face violence and language to real moments of subtly. Basically its about a very small town, DUNSMORE, with a really nasty bully, Ronny Pritcher, played by W. Earl Brown from 'Deadwood,' who is gunned down one night on Main Street by unknown killers. It then follows a Citizen Kane – like structure when an investigator, played by Kadeem Hardison, comes to find out what happened. As the investigation proceeds we see that Ronny was really a small town terrorist with a lot of enemies. What makes it particularly interesting is how close to the vest the filmmakers tell it. You have a feeling you know what's going on but nothing is really given away and just when you think you know where it's going it takes you somewhere else. I was also impressed by the acting. W. Earl Brown is every bit as menacing here as he is in Deadwood. Kadeem Hardison is surprisingly credible in a serious role, nothing at all like the Dwayne Wayne character he played on 'A Different World.' Jennetta Arnette, from 'Boys Don't Cry,' is perfect as Ronny's put-upon older wife – he has two of them at he same time – his second, younger wife, played by Alicia Lagano, is one of the least introspective teens I've seen since the movie 'Thirteen,' but then has a great moment of self-realization as she talks about Ronny in death and seems to sense that she has lost more than her husband, but her youth and innocence as well. Talia Shire, from Rocky and The Godfather, plays the local schoolteacher and tells an absolutely chilling story about this bad guy as a child. Barry Corbin gets the good-old-boy-sheriff of the year award as the only person willing to take Ronny on on his own violent terms, and Rus Blackwell, the sleazy cop from 'Monster,' plays the friendly town Sheriff with the same subtly and understatement as a Chris Cooper. It's obvious this film had a modest budget, but neither the production nor the story suffer from it. There is also a lot of dark and sometimes twisted humor. Finally, the one thing that makes this movie stand out for me, unlike other small-town murder mysteries, is that for all it's in-your-face intensity it raises really thoughtful questions about morality, capital punishment, good versus evil and other issues of right and wrong and actually leaves you with something to think about when it's over. I'm still thinking about it days after having seen it. I'd recommend checking it out.

Dunmore is one of those films that creates mixed feelings. On one hand, it is a cheap film with some amateurish editing, direction and cinematography. The script also has a bad habit of wandering and lacking flow at points. On the other hand, though, it is a thoughtful and terrifying film about a small country town named Dunsmore under the domination of one man: Ronny Roy Pritcher. Played with zeal by W. Earl Brown, the film begins with Ronny's murder.

The story then becomes a whodunit that seeks out motive (pretty much everyone in the town has a reason to kill Ronny) as well as suspects, ultimately very similar to a country town version of the 1974 thriller Murder on the Orient Express. As one character remarks near the beginning, "Dunsmore killed Ronny." And it is true, as this is a film with two main characters: Ronny, and the town of Dunsmore. It is the interactions between Ronny and the group of characters within the town that drive the film from beginning to end.

It is here that both the greatest flaws and assets are shown. Shot almost like a documentary, each person has their own story and their own demons. Everyone is unique and the way their lives intersect with Ronny's lead to an entertaining maze of suspects and stories. However, at a point the gritty film-making becomes too self-aware and the characters begin to become almost comical in their plights. Especially with one part as an old man is chased through rows of crops in the dead of the night, Dunsmore becomes less of a smart thriller and more of a cheesy horror-fest.

That's not to say Brown doesn't give Ronny a presence. When he is on screen, he seizes attention. However, he also gives some depth to the character of Ronny who could have easily become an evil caricature. Although the origins of his cruelty are only hinted at in a ridiculous scene of animal torture, Brown has moments to show off charm and at least demonstrate why some people found more than just hate to aim at Ronny. Ultimately, there is no mistaking that this is a small independent movie about a small country town, but the mix of mystery and drama work together to create quite an engaging experience that satisfies more than it disappoints.

Critic's Conclusion: Overall a dark film showing its independent roots, that's not to say Dunsmore fails to have any emotional wallop or to have anything to say. It is an interesting film that shows the still blooming potential of the talent behind it.

Movies set in small towns in the south tend to have one of two storyline- racial tensions between white and black or a glimpse into the life of the poor town dwellers. "Dunsmore" centered around the murder of a town bully, played wonderfully by W. Earl Brown of Deadwood fame so I gave it a chance. The character he plays, Ronny Roy Pritcher, intimidates his way out of courtrooms and into getting anything he desires, including an underage girl. Within the first few scenes of the movie the audience can see every man, woman and child is afraid of him. However not much is said by the soon to be dead Pritcher so most of the movie relies on flashbacks. After Pritcher dies from multiple gunshot wounds, the press and the Attorney General's office are wondering who to blame.

Walter Taylor( Kadeem Hardison) , an Attorney General office member, is sent to look into the killing and make sure the sheriff is doing his job. His belief he's doing what's best for Pritcher, a man he didn't know, forces him to continue questioning the town to motive. It's evident in his words and actions he doesn't understand the world he's walked into but lets his ideas of justice lead him blindly. All the parts were played to perfection as when we first meet most characters their expressions and attitudes form our opinion of them. With most of the tales of people's relationships with Pritcher told in flashback it got to be a little momentous. Not to mention, after hearing the kind of man Pritcher was, what person would continue to help find him justice? I couldn't fathom it.

Even though I continued watching, I felt no real drive to find out who killed Ronny Pritcher. The stories of his brutality add up until even the viewer is hoping the Attorney General's man returns to the city and leaves things alone. From the beginning it's obvious who shoots Pritcher which left me wondering what the point of the movie was. Did the director intend for it to be a character study of the small town?

To me, this movie was well done but without twists or a shocking end, comes up short. If one wants to watch a bad criminal and bully meet their end then perhaps it is enjoyable. I on the other hand take my murder mystery movies with a little more mystery.