Bad Turn Worse

Now, this is disappointing only because it seemed like it was going to go in more interesting places. The first act is definitely stronger than what follows. Everything before it turned into this crime thriller really, really worked. Its pacing was really well balanced and it seemed like, I don't know, I would be more original? Everything after the money really was just another run-of-the-mill crime story. The acting is fine, Pellegrino is a lot of fun, but really, less and less interesting as it went on. The climax is all kinds of predictable, hokey, cheesy, clichéd, overdone... you name it. Despite the contrivances, I still liked it. The pacing is really well done and it has some nice moods.

Bad Turn Worse is a crime thriller done without big budget, but still manages to entertain. It presents good script, murky atmosphere of rural town and fresh partially ironic take on crime drama. The movie is not without flaws though, the pacing might suffer at times and despite some good twist the characters fall into stereotypical teen early on.

This is a story of three teenagers who live in Texas dusty town. One of them decides to steal from the mob, a poorly made decisions that drag all of them into gradually escalating situation. It's a bit slow to build-up on first act as the teens only exchange banters. The plot takes speed after a while, although it's still marred on a couple of scenes.

The premise is seemingly simple, yet the script is smart and it delivers nice twists in timely manner . Acting is good for the three leads, they look juvenile, desperately determined and wanting promise of better life. The chemistry works by meshing these bored boorish characters together in much more adult condition than they are supposed to have.

What set apart this movie from mediocrity is the occasional moments of fresh delivery amidst its bleak visual. Several of the scenes are interestingly done, a bit self-aware, surprisingly bloody and a very reminisces of classic pulp fiction.

Having many genre familiarities, it can be a bit stereotypical and the display of boredom might be stagnant, but with its fine performance and good material, Bad Turn Worse is an engaging human and crime drama.

Saw this 2 years ago and decided to rewatch it today.

I literally remembered nothing about it except that I found it underwhelming but passable as a time-waster.

Rewatching it today unfortunately I ended up focusing on the wrong things, like for instance the acting which was subpar for the morepart. Mark Pellegrino is an alright baddie but the youngsters in the lead didn't really impress.

Especially Jeremy Allen White who had a constant blank face in every scene even in the most intense life-threatening ones and we are supposed to root for him after all which is hard when even he doesn't show signs of caring.

But he's young and I'm sure he'll do better in other things.

The pace doesn't help either as it highlights the flaws more than anything else.

So yeah definitely not a movie you end up watching over and over again, I know 2 times is more than enough in fact I should have stuck at 1.

B.J. (Logan Huffman), his book-loving girlfriend Sue (Mackenzie Davis) and best friend Bobby (Jeremy Allen White) live in a small Texas town. Sue and Bobby are looking to leave for college. B.J. is acting up. He's jealous of them leaving and angry at their unspoken sexual chemistry. He had stolen money from their local criminal boss Giff (Mark Pellegrino). Giff starts beating on the Mexican guard and Bobby falsely confesses to the theft. Giff kills the guard anyways. Bobby is shocked that it turns out to be $20k from Big Red (William Devane) and Giff wants Bobby to repay it. Giff tells them to rob Big Red.

I like the young threesome. I'm a big fan of Jeremy Allen White in Shameless. Mackenzie Davis has a powerful energy about her. Logan Huffman grows on me with his creepiness. I do wonder why either of them likes B.J. but that's not out of the question in a small town. My first problem is Bobby's false confession. Bobby is not an idiot. He knows it's at a minimum $2000 and he couldn't pay that back himself. At first, I thought he was related to Giff and therefore not afraid of being killed by him. It simply doesn't make any sense other than the need to advance the plot. It could have been done in a different way. The Mexican could have falsely fingered Bobby before being killed. B.J. could have double-crossed Bobby. I don't buy Bobby volunteering to take the fall. I still like the threesome and I love the pulpy hard-boiled noirish style but it's hard for me to overcome the misstep.

I saw this film at the Toronto Film Festival and it was without question, the finest film there. I hope this film gets wide theatrical release! For first time directors the Hawkins Brothers have produced a very tight film that treats the viewer with respect. The cinematography is stunning, particularly given that the film is shot in a rather bleak part of Texas. The film was intense from start to finish. Mark Pellegrino has taken the world of bad guys to a new level. He's a local for sure, but was an original. Quite frankly, all of this cast was top rate. While there are three relatively new actors involved, I expect that we shall be seeing them all down the road - and I would certainly include the directors in this statement, as well. If you get the chance, see this gem.