This is novice writer and director Aaron Harvey's only 3rd full length feature film (other 3 are shorts), and he managed exceptionally well behind the camera, but failed in directing his cast, as they were way too bland and boring - except for Grillo, who is naturally high-strung and the only one that created any suspense in this film.
The writing was very sub-par with nothing new we haven't seen before - small town revenge flick *yawns*. Any reference to Hitchcock or Citizen Kane, is an insult to those films, and clearly a fake review. With the long dragged out and unnecessary scenes with a pace slower than a snail for 95% of the film, the 98 min length felt like 2+ hours. There was almost no suspense or surprises, and the entire film was predictable, even with it's failed attempt at the flash-back scenes, the "who done it", and the "come to your own conclusion" ending. There was almost zero character development or backstory. This type of writing is more at the level of a sophomore film student project. Had Aaron Harvey hired a seasoned screenwriter to edit his script, this film would have been more enjoyable.
The biggest plus for me was the exceptional score. Had it not been as good as it was, I would have fallen asleep. For that matter, the score was too good in creating suspense and tension, that never really came into fruition. The cinematography was also great.
Even though it had some all-star B-grade actors, they couldn't help this C-grade production. I'm still giving this film a very generous 6/10, only because it was put together by a novice filmmaker (thus somewhat excusable for its flaws - they have to start somewhere, right?), it clearly was low budget, it had a decent cast, and an exceptional score.
The writing was very sub-par with nothing new we haven't seen before - small town revenge flick *yawns*. Any reference to Hitchcock or Citizen Kane, is an insult to those films, and clearly a fake review. With the long dragged out and unnecessary scenes with a pace slower than a snail for 95% of the film, the 98 min length felt like 2+ hours. There was almost no suspense or surprises, and the entire film was predictable, even with it's failed attempt at the flash-back scenes, the "who done it", and the "come to your own conclusion" ending. There was almost zero character development or backstory. This type of writing is more at the level of a sophomore film student project. Had Aaron Harvey hired a seasoned screenwriter to edit his script, this film would have been more enjoyable.
The biggest plus for me was the exceptional score. Had it not been as good as it was, I would have fallen asleep. For that matter, the score was too good in creating suspense and tension, that never really came into fruition. The cinematography was also great.
Even though it had some all-star B-grade actors, they couldn't help this C-grade production. I'm still giving this film a very generous 6/10, only because it was put together by a novice filmmaker (thus somewhat excusable for its flaws - they have to start somewhere, right?), it clearly was low budget, it had a decent cast, and an exceptional score.