Dark Country

not sure what to say about this feature film directorial debut of Thomas Jane who also stars,along with Laura German.it kinda had an Outer Limits vibe going.i liked how it looked,as in the lighting and the the good use of shadows.and the voice over narrative was pretty effective.the actual story itself was very simple and straightforward,and i could see what they were aiming for with the ending,but there's no way to get there without some impossible leaps of logic.but up to that point,it's entertaining.it's short at less than ninety minutes.so it's not like you're losing a big chunk of your life.you could do worse.for me,Dark Country is a 6/10

I TOTALLY agree with the fellow reviewer here who said that the movie kept reminding him of David Lynch; RIGHT ON mate!!! The VERY first thing that struck me while watching this, and I do mean RIGHT AWAY, literally within the first few minutes in the first scene with the photography of the motel, was the stunning DETAIL and effort that was clearly put into the look and visuals of this film!. WOW! That is precisely what I thought immediately... Just WOW!!! Each shot was like a well thought out composition. Just like Kubrick... I $h*t you not! And, that is just about the same time when I thought 'Ah..., Lynch!' That ALONE throughout the film was enough to set it apart and impress the living hell outta me! I mean, even setting aside the actual story... JUST the bloody look, style, and photography were enough to make me hafta change my pants...

That said... There are some rough edges, which Jane admits during the commentary that bothered him, either due to time or money constraints. I LOVE the understated stylized dialog and acting too. That is likely why many here do not like it. You HAVE to be one who appreciates and enjoys an understated, almost classic FILM NOIR approach to the dialog or you will just think it is stupid.

As you likely can tell by the polarized reviews, this movie really comes down to one's preference and taste. IF you like almost a comic book style and Surreal visuals and a heavy David Lynch-like mood, THEN you will probably very much like this film! But, if that kind of stuff doesn't really 'Do it' for you, then it is likely to leave you flatter than Chaz Bono...

One thing I kept thinking of as they showed the shots of the stars while they were driving, was that it REALLY reminded my of 1950's Science Fiction; which you COULD look at as kind of hokey... But if you dig it... it REALLY adds to the overall Surreal mood of the film.

I was watching this movie and I started to get bored, but I stayed on, because I thought it would be hypocritical of me to chew on the fast formula movies and not appreciate slow buildup. But the problem is, all the buildup has to build up to something, and there was nothing there.

I agree the feel was nice, it reminded me of those old policier books from my childhood, but there was no solvable mystery, no underlying wonder and the twist at the end just made no sense whatsoever.

The thing is, I kind of like Thomas Jane, and I understand if he is more of an actor than a director, still, he could have chosen a better story. And man, that blond chick was annoying.

I found this to be a rather enjoyable film. When I first began watching this I was initially struck with the impression that it was going to be a bit cheesy and the way it was shot seemed to come off as tacky low budget green screen work. As the movie progressed, I began to realize that all the things that seemed sorta off were purposeful. It then became a enjoyable watch that has a really nice late 50's to late 60's feel to it. Think of how Marion looked while driving to the Bates Motel in Psycho. That sort of screen work is present in this film. I found it really creative and loved watching it. The story has a Twilight Zone feel but could've been a bit more solid and there were times when I didn't think the actors were playing off each other all that great. Overall, I liked it but this is probably not going to be a film for everyone. In my opinion. the visual concept must be embraced and understood to enjoy it.

I'm not sure if this movie had caught my eye unless Thomas Jane had directed it. I always find it interesting when an actor with some fame goes behind camera. I think Thomas Jane succeeds pretty well, the movie holds itself together all the way.

Not gonna go much into the plot, but it does indeed play a bit like a Twilight Zone episode as some others have mentioned. To speak the truth, I didn't quite understand how the movie eventually unfolded, but it was fun to watch. Probably isn't even meant to be explainable.

The noirish style works quite well. A somewhat similar look has been popular recently and it's easy to guess the budget has been tight on this one. There are many many shots, where you can see the green screen through hair or the darks just don't match up. Despite the sloppy post production, there are some nice visual ideas without going over the top with visual trickery and the noirish atmosphere works.

There are basically only two actors (three if you count Perlman) and they both do a decent job. Lauren German is quite a chameleon it seems. She never looks the same, yet she resembles so many other actresses. She's very capable of pulling of different roles, really looking forward to watch her career go sky high.

The movie is something you'd expect to see from someone graduating from a film school. It's still got the fun factor, it doesn't take itself too seriously. It feels more as if the crew made the movie for themselves rather than the audience, and that's how art should be done.

I'm still giving only 5, because it really is not a classic, even tho it's a fun little indie movie. Five here doesn't mean it's a bad movie, there's just so many better ones that I can't justify a higher score.