Ramsey: The Vandy Case

This film had it all. As far as feel and tone, I would put this on this side of Mare of Easttown. You really don't know who the killer is and I thought the lead of the film did a tremendous job carrying the film. There was a grizzly, weariness to him. For him to be an ex-cop, you would expect that. The rest of the cast really showed up as well and I really appreciate the music. I have to also point out the cinematography, the random loss of focus really added to the scenes. It makes you get that discombobulated feeling many of teh characters have as they realize things, or are in such dyer circumstance that we are as jostled as they. I also don't usually complement the opening of films, but this opening had me hooked! Well done!

This is an indie crime drama that revolves around the murder of a female cop. Private investigator Ramsey is tasked by the victim's sister to help solve the murder. Ramsey, played by Jim Thalman, is a very compelling and likable character. While this is a slow burn film and some scenes could be tighter, the story is very entertaining and engaging. It has a very clever twist and also explores interesting relevant topics that many crime films don't. If you enjoy crime stories as much as I do, you should definitively give this movie a chance. Filmmaker Tom Ryan does a good job at keeping you guessing until the very end!

This is first set of reviews I've ever seen on IMDB where I wondered whether these glowing reviews were phony. While not a terrible film, this was a cheap, straight-to-video movie with a flabby plot and lousy production values. It almost seemed like a student sophomore project from film school. The first thing I noticed was the terrible audio. It sounded like they were recording the with $40 microphones, or with someone's iPhone 6! The dialogue faded in and out, and was foggy and mumbling, to the point where I had to turn on the close captions to make sure I got all the dialogue. While I kind of liked the main character, the other characters had a cardboard feel to them. I struggled, but made it to the end. Ignore all the glowing reviews; this was a solid 6!

As a big indie movie buff, I thought this was going to be another ho hum murder mystery. But was I surprised, maybe because it was a no name production. Opening was good , cinematography was excellent and a very appropriate genre fitting soundtrack. The premise of addiction was a new one and not your typical rehashed ones we constantly see. Although 2 hours was a bit long, it does fill out and eventually make sense. The big plus in this movie was the ending . Was I ever surprised!! The character / murderer was there the whole time . There was no mystery surprise killer out of the blue ala scoopy do. Very realistic and plausible . Kudos to that.

The noir detective drama is back baby. Ramsey's title character is an ex-cop turned P. I. who's hired by a classic femme fatale to look into the murder of her sister. You know where this is going. Envy, lust, crooked cops, and the threat of another killing all loom heavy over this moody modern day telling of a story dripping with moral ambiguity.

Is it perfect? No. There is some repetition which could be solved by another pass in the edit. And some of the locations tend to start looking very similar. But the lead actor turns in a complex, vulnerable performance which is plenty to hold our interest. If you're looking for a throwback to the 1970s crime era, look no further, you could do much worse.