LaRoy

Laroy, Texas is a Fargo-esque movie by writer/director Shane Atkinson. He has for sure watched and enjoyed movies by the Coen Brothers. He doesn't have the same talent but he has for sure been influenced by the Coen Brothers and he's certainly good enough to make an entertaining movie in Fargo style. Good dialogues between the two major characters, an interesting story with the necessary twists and turns to keep it interesting, and a good doses of black humour. The entire cast were believable in their roles, enjoyable characters in a wild story that makes this genre of movies just highly entertaining.

It's pretty clear from the outset that first-time feature director Shawn Atkinson is a big fan of the Coen brothers because there isn't a scene in this evocative albeit overlong 2024 character-driven thriller that didn't remind me of genuine classics like "Fargo", "Blood Simple", or "No Country for Old Men". The convoluted plot centers on put-upon Ray, a sad sack who owns the town's family hardware store with his slick brother Junior. Married to an unfaithful former beauty queen Stacy-Linn, Ray decides to end it all but gets caught up as an inadvertent hit man on the track of missing cash with his hapless private eye buddy Skip. Much like William H. Macy's Jerry Lundegaard in "Fargo", Ray is such a pitiful character that John Magaro can only do so much to flesh out his role and elicit empathy for his character. On the other hand, Steve Zahn brings welcome over-the-top comic gusto to Skip, while Dylan Baker plays effectively against type as Harry, the true hit man. Matthew Del Negro and Megan Stevenson play Junior and Stacy-Linn pretty much by the numbers. As with the Coens' films, there are comic scenes punctuated by shots of extreme violence. Really for fans of this particular genre.

The movie is fun to watch, from the beggining to the end. It keeps you guessing whats coming next. All the actors did great at their roles, the plot is very nice, the soundtrack is great and fitting at its scenes. The humor is on point, and its not exagerated. The first 25 minutes are the best and keeps you interested from whats going to do next. Middle is not so good as the first act and the end is nice, but not explendid.

Overall, I recommend this movie to everyone who likes a bit of humor and likes movies that made you think "things are terrible, it cant be worse", and them, it gets even worser than you thought it could be.

7.5/10.

A completely washed up loser, Ray (John Magaro) finds out his wife is having an affair and plans to kill himself. However he inadvertently gets mistaken for a hit man and is given a pile of cash. Through various circumstances he accidentally kills the target with the complex outcome involving his brother, wife, the real hit man and over confident wannabe PI Skip (Steve Zahn) causing him to be placed in all kinds of trouble.

Very Coenesque, this features a lot of sometimes fun, sometimes silly and annoying rather cliched caricatures as they attempt to extricate themselves from various situations. The film is saved by Zahn, funny as an idiot who thinks he's a smart PI and Dylan Baker as the real and merciless hit man. What frankly irks is Magaro's central character, so dumb and irritating that you just wish he'd go away. Some fun stuff here though, with a few clever plotting ideas making the who will prevail and who won't notion worth the wait to the climax where all is sorted one way or another.

LaRoy, Texas is a film that feels like a snowball, rolling downhill and picking up chaotic layers with each new action and choice made by its characters. This constant build-up kept the story engaging and entertaining for me, as every twist made things feel more complicated and unpredictable. The comedy throughout worked well to add some lightness, but at times, it felt like it held back the story from reaching the more intense or satisfying moments I hoped for.

The characters are well-written and bring a quirky charm to the film. However, while they were fun to watch, they lacked real growth or depth. They acted consistently within the story's wacky tone, but I found their actions to be a mix of well-crafted and somewhat clunky moments that didn't always hit the mark.

The direction was stable and well-executed. There are some great shots and compositions, with editing that kept a steady rhythm that matched the story's pacing well. The beginning of LaRoy, Texas does a good job of setting up expectations, holding out plenty of potential scenarios for the story to take. However, by the end, it falls just short of fulfilling those expectations. There's a sense that the movie could have reached a more powerful conclusion if it had taken a different narrative path or gone deeper into the characters' motives.

In the end, LaRoy, Texas is fun, quirky, and visually well-made, but it leaves something to be desired in the story's payoff.