Dark Country (2009) User Reviews

Brave story telling, but not a film for everyone.

[Phil-531 · 6/10 · 1 October 2009]

The first thing you will notice about this movie is it's style. It takes a few minutes to get used to the pseudo-film noire feel and the interesting camera work. In the end you may feel as though you've been watching an episode of The Twilight Zone, or Tales From the Dark Side. Welcome this feeling- it is the only way to really embrace the computer enhanced darkness that fills this movie.

For the most part the acting is solid. Thomas Jane is pulling double duty as both lead actor and director, a difficult task for anyone (watch almost any Branagh film), and in this case it works. You can tell he feels very comfortable working with his surroundings, co-stars and cameras. Lauren German never really seems to find her stride in this movie but I'm willing to blame the writer for never making any very solid decisions as to her character. And Ron Perlman is just sort of there, being Ron Perlman. Which is fine, if you like Ron Perlman.

The music isn't the best but what was written for the movie works well within the movie. If the computer enhanced darkness and story don't throw you off, the music isn't going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

I have a soft spot for this kind of film- indie-esquire, first time director, interesting story with certain, almost inexplicable, twists that are almost nuanced into the shots. I like this movie, but it's probably not going to appeal to the masses. If you want a big budget scary movie with Thomas Jane and a satisfying ending that wraps up all events in the movie into a nice little explained bow, rent The Mist. If you want something a little more offbeat with a unique vision from a first time director, try Dark Country.

Lost Highway

[Matt_Layden · 6/10 · 23 November 2010]

A newly married couple hits the road and drives through the desert from Las Vegas when they encounter a person who was just in an accident. They take him and try to find some help, but they get more than they bargained for and all hell breaks loose.

I was intrigued by this film from the trailer, not because of the story or the actors, but it was the visual flare that grabbed me. It was a film noir with a twilight zone twist and that was exactly what the film gives you. Dark Country is the directorial debut of Thomas Jane and with Dark Country he shows that he has some interesting concepts and talent to back it up, yet still needs time to hone those skills. Dark Country, while showcasing some impressive scenes, comes off as slightly amateurish at times.

The most evident is the green screen. Now, Jane has obviously chosen to make it noticeable that when they are in the car, that the scenery in the background was stylized to make it feel like a comic book. It works, but the problem lies in the production values that are evident in the cracks. Bits of the green screen are visible through our lead female characters hair and around their faces. This takes you out of the film and you realize that you're watching a film.

The second would be the audio. While Jane pays a lot of attention to the detail of the visuals, he seems to have let the audio slide a little bit. If a film has bad visuals, the audience can forgive you as long as the sound is good. If a film has bad audio, you are screwed. While the film doesn't have horrible audio, there are times that it feels like it was put together in a day. ADR is very evident and jolting.

I give the film some credit for the intrigue. I immediately wanted to listen to the audio commentary from Jane to see what his agenda was. I got some of the film, while other parts of it were lost on me. The film is without a doubt a Twilight Zone entry aided by the film noir and graphic novel aspects that Jane added. It's a genre piece that has a specific market. Jane knows what he is doing and comes off extremely prepared and knowledgeable. I just wish he would have taken a bit more time with this one and improved those little imperfections.

It's funny, during the film there were parts where I asked myself if Jane was trying to make a 3D film. Reading up on the film, much to my surprise it apparently was suppose to be a 3D film. Not only that, but Jane is apparently not happy with the final product. I can see his frustration because there is a lot here that could be good. Instead it feels as if it's an exercise. A project to see if Jane could actually direct.

Dark Country is a beautiful looking film that has a few problems, yet those few problems are jarring enough to make you upset with the final product.

certainly has its entertainment value

[disdressed12 · 6/10 · 19 March 2010]

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

Plot Summary and My Interpretation

[trevian_a · 2/10 · 9 October 2009]

OK, so it starts off with our main characters Richard and his wife, Gina. These two people have recently got married and are on their way to their honeymoon in Las Vegas. On the way however they hit a man, Bloodyface.

Being Good Samaritan the couple picks up Bloodyface and attempt to take him to the hospital. On the way there Bloodyface attempts to murder Richard and Gina. After a struggle Richard kills Bloodyface leaving the couple with a problem, what are they going to do with the body?

After a lengthy argument the body is buried in the middle of the desert. The couple leave the scene and end up going to a rest stop where they clean themselves up. It is here where Richard discovers that his watch has gone missing and that he must go to the grave where they buried Bloodyface in order to recover it.

Gina, refusing to leave, is left at the rest stop with a gun to protect herself. Richard leaves to recover the watch. When he gets to the grave site he finds that the body is gone. While he is pondering this he hears gun shots in the distance. Richard rushes off back to the rest stop where he does not find Gina. He does however find tracks which leads to a women buried in the ground.

Richard then leaves to find help. He comes across a police officer who agrees to help and takes him back to the crime scene. When they get back there are other cops there and they are digging up several corpses. One of the corpses they dig up is of Gina, they also find Richard's watch with the corpses. In a panic Richard steals a car and runs away. A car chase ensues which ends in a large car crash.

Richard escapes the car crash bloody and mangled when he looks up he sees another car and is hit by it. When he comes to he is in the back of what is apparently his own car. He sees a man and a woman, which in my opinion look exactly like Richard and Gina but I might be crazy. When you see Richard, he looks exactly like Bloodyface and this is how the movie ends.

Now for my analysis of the ending: So what I believe happened is that Richard is stuck in a temporal loop. More or less the reason why there are so many dead women at the rest stop is because that's how many times the loop has happened thus far. What I believe is happening is that once Richard becomes Bloodyface he sees himself and his wife. Knowing what is going to happen he tries to kill himself, aka the new Richard, to stop it from happening again. And so far it has failed each time. But the question that arises is why? Why does Bloodyface try to kill Richard? Why doesn't he just go on his merry way? Why does he kill Gina? Why, Why, Why? The ending is open for interpretation but this is mine.

I give this movie a 2/10. It is bad movie, with a bad plot, with a confusing ending. The special effects are very unrealistic, the characters are emotionless 90% of the time. More or less, if you read my summary then you know the entire plot, if there even is a plot. Like seriously the plot is not introduced until the last 30 minutes, or at least it seems that way. So my final verdict, read the summary, don't watch the movie.

surely well done

[boccaccio6 · 7/10 · 28 September 2009]

Well, I am not sure what to think about this movie I had fun looking at it, Lauren German is more than gorgeous, the acting has no flaws, the pace is satisfying, characters are alive, normal, but the place where they are is not . The story is not that original, if you have some practice in mystery thrillers you have a fair chance to guess what is happening long before the end. Could be a remake of some old movie, a good remake anyway. What I liked most is the nice photography of the desert night. Did you ever feel out of space-time looking at a starred sky, undisturbed by city lights? Well, that is the case. As for the 3D, have fun.

Fun little indie movie

[rlaine · 5/10 · 23 February 2011]

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.

Flashback!

[Foutainoflife · 7/10 · 2 August 2018]

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.

Umm,,,,, What?

[ChrisMichael81 · 4/10 · 28 September 2009]

So many problems with this movie. First of all the story made no sense whatsoever. It's almost as if they were following the book then realized there was no ending. When they realized there was no ending they gave up and figured we can let the audience make one up. The atmosphere of the movie was a little creepy and they really could have built off of this. But they had to ruin it with a terrible selection of music. The score did not complement the atmosphere the creators had captured. The acting was nothing memorable but was better than most "F list" movies. I went with a 4 as this movie is a step up from watchable but it will leave you with a troubling feeling of "What were they thinking?".

David lynch anyone?? --- Spoilers below!!!!!!!!

[Hrdcoreer · 7/10 · 5 October 2009]

This film reminds me a lot of David Lynch's 'lost highway'. The cinematography and general feel is quite similar.

Right from the start I was thinking to myself that it felt like I was watching some kind of lynch film right until I got to the end..

It ends exactly the same!! One big loop..coincidence?? Lol

I dunno, I definitely think it borrowed heavily from lynch films and In particular lost highway. That aside, it wasn't bad, worth a watch.. If I didn't keep comparing it to lynch in my head I'd probably be more fond of it.

Either way still recommend a watch.

Seems like a Twilight Zone episode that went on for an hour too long

[alexandritemin · 3/10 · 4 March 2010]

The movie was boring. And sort of predictable to me. And many people who have watched Twilight Zone TV show. Was the man Crazy or was the man in Hell? We will never know, This 10 Line crap is bull. Because you really don't need to know anymore than this movie sucked. I mean the girl didn't even get naked. Was the man a serial killer? Was it all a dream and he worked in a Elementary School as a Lunch lady? I think Highlander guy could do better, That was the Highlander guy wasn't it? Hey did you guys hear about the Chilean earthquake? Whats up with that? any way back to the movie. Um I liked the 1940's greenscreen like in the car driving scenes

Outre and arresting thriller

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 11 June 2015]

Richard (an excellent performance by Thomas Jane, who also directed) and Gina (a fine portrayal by the fetching Lauren German) are a pair of newlyweds who decide to drive off into the desert on their honeymoon. Things take a surreal turn for the nightmarish after the couple gets lost in some godforsaken nowheresville wasteland.

Jane brings a real dazzling and dynamic cinematic panache to the compellingly strange material: The garish comic book style and Geoff Boyle's slick'n'splashy cinematography suggest an episode of "The Twilight Zone" crossed with an issue of EC Comics with a generous sprinkling of brooding gloomy noir added for good measure, the desolate backwoods locations are put to effectively bleak and stifling use, the pace kicks into manic overdrive in the harrowing second half, the blatant green screen work creates a heightened artificiality which further enhances the overall oddball and unsettling vibe, and the wickedly amusing touches of pitch-black humor serve as the tasty cherry on an already deliciously twisted celluloid cake. Tab Murphy's intriguing abstract script keeps viewers guessing to the end what's truly going on and reaches a bitterly ironic conclusion with Richard trapped in a continual purgatory of his own hideous device. Ron Perlman does well in a sizable secondary role as a cynical state trooper. Not for all tastes, but still recommended for adventurous folks with a hankering for something different and out of the ordinary.

Great idea, good film.

[CAMACHO-4 · 7/10 · 25 May 2010]

I've read the other comments about this film and many people just didn't get it. I do admit this film is not for everyone, which is probably why it was made as an indie film rather than a main stream picture.

Dark Country was a very well directed and well acted film. Now saying that, I do have to say it would have done better as a twilight zone episode or an episode of The Outer Limits. The film's star Thomas Jane does a great job acting and I don't know if many people know this but he also directed the movie. Seeing that Dark Country was his first directing gig I have to say I think he has great potential to be an excellent director. Not many people can make a film this interesting on their first time out.

Some people are comparing Dark Country to a David Lynch film, that's ridicules. Lynch movies rarely have a coherent story line you can follow, Dark Country does.

Overall, Dark Country may be a little strange but if you're a person who likes challenging mysteries, you'll really enjoy this.

Best film i've ever seen

[dimger-1 · 1/10 · 22 October 2010]

You enjoy from first to last second. Thank you Sakis.

The first thing you will notice about this movie is it's style. It takes a few minutes to get used to the pseudo-film noire feel and the interesting camera work. In the end you may feel as though you've been watching an episode of The Twilight Zone, or Tales From the Dark Side. Welcome this feeling- it is the only way to really embrace the computer enhanced darkness that fills this movie.

For the most part the acting is solid. Thomas Jane is pulling double duty as both lead actor and director, a difficult task for anyone (watch almost any Branagh film), and in this case it works. You can tell he feels very comfortable working with his surroundings, co-stars and cameras. Lauren German never really seems to find her stride in this movie but I'm willing to blame the writer for never making any very solid decisions as to her character. And Ron Perlman is just sort of there, being Ron Perlman. Which is fine, if you like Ron Perlman.

slow

[dbborroughs · 5/10 · 21 October 2009]

Thomas Jane directs a film that shows more promise than actual success. Its a Noirish tale about a honeymooning couple who who accidentally run over a man staggering in the desert, stop to help him only to have everything go horribly wrong when the man turns on them. From that point on it's a descent into hell as things get complicated on every level.

Give Thomas Jane points for making a good looking film. Give him a few more for getting some really good performances from all the actors. Unfortunately he looses a few for making an often tedious film. The pace of the film is often so slow that the film would cause you to nod off if you didn't want to know what happens. I don't know if the conclusion was worth the ride, but it kept me watching. Thats about all I can say.

Worth a look, but I'd wait for cable.

Comic book look for a no story movie

[siderite · 6/10 · 15 November 2009]

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.

Awful Little Movie

[ozlifter · 2/10 · 7 October 2009]

One of the worst movies I've seen in quite some time. It's like a trippy, supernatural film noir.

The director (Jane) decides to go ultra-stylized here, trying to capture the style of those old noir films. It comes off extremely cheap looking, annoying, and distracting. In fact, I'm still a little confused about the tone of the film. I thought it was a really unfunny comedy most of the way through it. (That's how bad it is.) But when I read some other comments here, I guess it wasn't supposed to be a comedy...I don't know. Just horrible.

The story is nothing original. Mix in a little Lost Highway, Rest Stop, and Wind Chill. Add it to a 50's noir film, and this is what you get. Only this is much crappier than the above films, and they were pretty crappy.

The ending here is really confusing, in a bad way.

Ugh. I just finished watching this and I'm still so upset I can't articulate everything that's wrong with this pile of garbage. Just skip it.

style and substance

[joewilliamhayes · 7/10 · 8 October 2009]

Ya gotta love tom jane,the guy makes some seriously cool movies.hes gotta taste for great genre films,"mutant chronicles","the punisher","the tripper",the bad ass "the mist",the criminally underrated "killshot" & "stander".I kept an eye out for this one,wasn't surprised when it didn't hit theaters,(not a remake).Really wish these studios would stop screwing around and release more risky stuff like this,instead of dumping them on DVD.The film was meant to be seen in 3-d,and for once i wish i could see a film in that format. for a film made to be 3-d,the visuals don't feel forced at all,they actually kinda flow with the story.I was pleasantly surprised by how good it looked in 2-d, would love to see it on the big screen.the story was kinda twilight zone-ish and worked well.genre films and suspense films have a certain formula they all follow.this one takes some of those moments you are programmed to expect and throws you a curve.nicely done.

I probably should have spent my $1 on some gum instead

[carmmm4 · 3/10 · 7 November 2009]

I rented this movie from Redbox in the hopes of enjoying some good scares. However, Dark Country really didn't impress me and certainly didn't get under my skin. If anything, I was just bored and sleepy throughout it. The film was dark and had interesting cinematography (reason for the three stars), but the ending was such a letdown. I felt like I had suffered through all the slow parts of the movie just to be confused at the end. I thought the acting was okay for an average horror film, but the lack of plot development kept me from caring what happened to the main characters. While I was not confused into thinking this was supposed to be a documentary (meaning I didn't expect it to be completely realistic) I didn't find the twist ending believable at all. There are ways to make a film so engrossing that you are able to suspend disbelief and get sucked into the world of the film. Dark Country failed miserably at this. It was pretty easy to guess where they were going too. I can almost never guess twist endings, but this one was obvious even to me. There were some loose ends that didn't seem tied up and I would have liked the ending to be a lot neater. It's almost as if they ran out of ideas and just threw in this particular ending at the last minute so they could complete the film.

I honestly would recommend avoiding this movie. It really wasn't worth the time I spent watching it nor the $1 rental fee.

Quite intriguing

[sim-pl · 6/10 · 8 March 2016]

Plot wasn't the strongest side of that movie. In fact, there was few of it. However background and setting where quite intriguing.

Night landscapes of the desert, impressive starry skies and mysterious lights behind the scenes were absorbing my attention and didn't let me get bored, despite late night time when I watched the film. Also old cars were adding some of the flavor.

As for the story itself, it was not much complicated, and quite predictable, so that can be counted as a disadvantage. It was mainly played by two actors who did quite well.

Not a great movie, but still worth watching.

Dumb contry

[devanlilly · 2/10 · 7 January 2013]

This movie was defiantly in the top ten worst of the worst worst. I don't think the producer gave thought into anything. The movie seam to start off with a married couple who hooked up at first glance and now they have to deal with the reality of who the other is. When the bloody face guy is introduced it is way too obvious that its him just look at the u shaped hair line and the blue car. I am aware however that some people may not notice these fact they probably would enjoy they movie better then the rest of us.The movie spent to much time in the car trying what it would seam like make the watcher think about who this strange guy they killed might be. Unless you are one of those who already figured it out . While watching the movie I thought that the real mystery would be how Gina would die. However to my disappointment they jump that scene.

(Closing statement) With poor scenery to the point where one scene they actually look green, fake lightning that was irreverent to the story board, story holes like Gina death and lots of time wasted doing next to nothing this movie most defiantly earned its poor grade (waste of time) like some teachers say in the schools you fail your self.

Thomas Jane's Film Noir

[x083 · 8/10 · 8 February 2010]

Well, If you like Thomas Jane as an Actor, you'll like this film. I saw him in the Film Thursday. I always enjoyed the roles hes played. Not only did he act well in this film, but he directed it fairly well too. I think that the film noir characteristics were well portrayed, though that the film bordered a horror flick. The acting was great, and I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes film noir or thomas jane. I feel like the film was going somewhere at the end and he just didn't quite get the ending he had hoped for, but loved the film, and all the special effects that remind me of the film noir films of the 1940's.

good campfire story

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 22 October 2022]

Dick (Thomas Jane) and Gina (Lauren German) got married in Vegas and are on their honeymoon. He's driving on a desert road in the middle of the night when he almost hits a man. The man had survived a car crash with horrendous facial injuries. There is no cell reception. The couple takes the stranger on board, but they are lost.

This is Twilight Zone. This is urban legend 101. Versions of this story has been told around the campfire since the car was invented. Thomas Jane is directing himself. He's trying to use a stylized noir comic book feel. This isn't really enough story to make a full movie. This is really a Twilight Zone episode. In order to take it to the next level, they need to be pursued by a scary stalker. They need to be hunted. As it stands, it's a good campfire story extended beyond its limit.

Don't watch it unless you have 25 hours a day

[alanpltse · 2/10 · 20 April 2011]

First of all I have started the first couple of minutes and found boring. Then I really found this is true, boring. Is this talking about ghost or supernatural? None. It is not a scary movie, I don't find anything about ghost at all. Only handful of actors on the road, they stay too much time in the car, just driving. It is even worse than the other movie "Triangle". Yes, looks like the "Triangle" after I watched the ending but "Triangle" has explained the important scenes why it happened. But not this film, this film only tells you the first pass of the loop. In addition, the main actress is not pretty. Unless you have an extra hour a day, otherwise just ignore it.

Highly Imaginative, Unlikely

[randomstuff-5 · 5/10 · 13 April 2010]

SPOILER (-ISH)

If you have read Trevain Austins review here on IMDb, you may choose to skip this one since he has described it accurately. However, allow me to add that there are still a few things 'up in the air'.

The scenery for example is at times too crisp, yet the movie is visually pleasing overall. (Unless you've goofed up your video settings.) You should enjoy most of what you see.... I enjoyed views inside the car as well as all of the lights and darks, whether they are CGI or not.

Short attention spans and tired people beware: Plot development is at a snails pace. They seem to be aiming for a mix of suspense, mystery and confusion.

I of course agree with the time loop theory, not sure how I can dispute that. Trevains was an apt summary the films events, minus the dialogue. Begging your pardon but that guys face was more than just bloody, in fact at times it looked like they were trying to make it utterly grotesque. Then I figured it was done so he can't recognize himself in the loop right away, which was a mini-twist I guess? I like how the flipped car was facing away so you couldn't see what kind of car it was right off the bat.

I also subscribe to the theory that he is supposed to be reliving his own personal hell after dying, although this is a cruel approach to religion if you believe in the existence of hell. I'm not trying to wrap this up in a neat little package, so you should watch it for yourself.

If you have previously enjoyed Tom Jane movies check it out. His co-star is easy on the eyes.

One more thing: The guy with the mangled face in the rear seat of the car brought up a couple random details about Tom Janes characters' wife while they were driving. I would have pulled over right then.

If you want to see a great movie that is not famous or acclaimed, go for Deadly Impact. Sean Patric Flanery (Boondock Saints 1 + 2, Simply Irresistible, Powder) and Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix, Bad Boys 1 + 2, The Sopranos). Quite an explosive movie. Starts and finishes with vigor.

As for this reviewed movie, it has entertainment value. About 8 cents. Here, I'll add my two: 5/10

Most disappointing

[zeppo-5 · 21 November 2011]

This film starts out as a gripping thriller with all the makings of a successful film noir and it did keep me on the edge of my seat, (unlike some other film with similar failed ambitions) until the moment when the hero realizes he has dropped his watch while burying his victim and decides to go back and look for it. From then on the film becomes totally disjointed and incomprehensible, (at least to me) which is a great pity because I think it had great potential. Also, there is no explanation for the sudden bursts of lightning that accompany the car all along its journey through the desert and how the car can keep speeding continuously along routes 93 and 95 without running out of gas! Most disappointing!