X
- 2018
- R
- Saban Films
- 1 h 31 m
- 2018
- R
- Saban Films
- 1 h 31 m
Summary Ex-cop Mike Kendall (John Hawkes) discovers the body of a young woman and, in an act of self- redemption, becomes hell bent on finding the killer. While his un-couth and quirky detective style helps break open the case, his dogged determination unwittingly puts his sister (Octavia Spencer) and best friend (Anthony Anderson) in danger.
Directed By: Eshom Nelms, Ian Nelms
Written By: Eshom Nelms, Ian Nelms
- 2018
- R
- Saban Films
- 1 h 31 m
- 2018
- R
- Saban Films
- 1 h 31 m
Small Town Crime
68
6.5
Where to Watch
Summary Ex-cop Mike Kendall (John Hawkes) discovers the body of a young woman and, in an act of self- redemption, becomes hell bent on finding the killer. While his un-couth and quirky detective style helps break open the case, his dogged determination unwittingly puts his sister (Octavia Spencer) and best friend (Anthony Anderson) in danger.
Directed By: Eshom Nelms, Ian Nelms
Written By: Eshom Nelms, Ian Nelms
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 12 Critic Reviews
68
83% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
17% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 12 Critic Reviews
68
83% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
17% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The film’s success rides on the shoulders of Hawkes, and for the most part, it works.
Small Town Crime is so engrossing in its optimistic darkness that it screams for the further pulpy adventures of Mike Kendall. Hawkes imbues him with the beat-down appeal of a Sam Spade or a Jim Rockford.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 29 User Ratings
6.5
66% Positive
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
28% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
7% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 29 User Ratings
6.5
66% Positive
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
28% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
7% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Small Town Crime is a 2018 indie crime-thriller from the Nelms brothers. I had heard nothing about this movie when I put it on last night, and I can honestly say that I was blown away. This is an incredibly engaging, intelligent thriller featuring an incredible performance from John Hawkes. This rivals Winter’s Bone as his best performance, and every time he was on-screen I was captivated. The direction shines, and shows an impressive amount of restraint. As the plot unwinds, every twist and turn is surprising and shocking and insane. The final third of the movie reaches a fever pitch of tension and is absolutely incredible. Honestly, I didn’t think I would see such an amazing movie so early into the year.
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Small Town Crime is an enjoyable neo-noir that, although it breaks no new ground, is a solid exploration of the genre. John Hawkes is well placed as the lead, a punching bag of a wannabe private detective whose alcoholism doomed his law enforcement career.
Robert Forster and Clifton Collins, Jr. make good use of their limited screen time. Jeremy Ratchford gives a good turn as the curiously named “Orthopedic”.
The oft-unmentioned co-star of this film, and the only onscreen presence that rivals Hawkes’ own, is the matte black Chevy Nova his character drives, often while stumbling around the borders of blackout drunk territory.
If you’re a fan of the slow boil of neo-noir and want to be entertained, this film certainly fits the bill. Just don’t expect anything innovative. Small Town Crime knows it’s ancestry and stays within its lane, even if Hawkes’ Nova often fails to do the same.
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An amiable crime dramedy from a more under-the-radar pair of filmmaking brothers, Ian and Eshom Nelms.
The Nelmses don’t make enough of their more intriguing ideas (Mike’s familial history) and end up right where you expect they would, bang bang. But Mr. Hawkes keeps you tethered, whether he’s navigating the movie’s uneven tones or peeling down one of cinema’s lonely highways in a muscle car so lovingly shot it deserves a co-star credit.
Starring John Hawkes as a booze-addicted former cop who stumbles across a mystery he can't stand to leave unsolved, the scuzzy-looking pic is a boon to the actor's fans.
I wish it had been a lot more fun, frankly. The movie’s tone never quite gels; it’s too outlandish and cartoony to convince, but not so outlandish and cartoony that it takes off into a realm of over-the-top exhilaration.
It doesn’t transcend its genre, it wallows in it. Sometimes, that’s almost enough.
Η αλληλoυχία των εικόνων ήταν εύστoχη και αποδoτική. Τα πλάνα καδράριζαν τα αντικείμενα και τα σημαίνοντα στoιχεία της σκηνής. Η σκoπιά των σκηνοθετών στο έργo ήταν oλοκληρωμένη και με ψηφιδωτές λεπτoμέρειες. Οι πτυχές του έργoυ ήταν πληθωρικές και πoλύπλευρες. Εν τέλει, τι θα μπορoύσε να πρoκύψει από αυτή την ταινία; Ίσως απλά πως τo πάθoς δεν θέτει όρια, ή απλά δεν έχει μηνύματα, δεν θίγεται τίπoτα, απλά εκτoνώνει και προκαλεί απόλαυση σε εκείνον πoυ την παρακoλουθεί, κάποιες φορές ένα μήνυμα είναι η ίδια η ταινία που είναι πρoσεγμένη και oυσιαστική.
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Small Town Crime: A drunken Ex-cop finds an injured woman on the side of the road and it sends him into a seedy mystery involving hit men, prostitutes, and small-town criminals.
The Good: First of all I could watch Robert Forster in anything. He is wonderful here. In fact, the entire cast is spot on. Anthony Anderson is a pleasure as always and it is good to see Octavia Spencer in a movie that doesn’t threaten to give me diabetes. Lead actor John Hawkes holds it all together as the alcoholic ex-cop trying to go straight.
The direction is also very solid with some well thought out and shot action scenes particularly in the latter third of the movie. The movie keeps a good pace building both character development and tension in a natural way. It also ends well with characters reacting naturally to the events that have passed and actions having real consequences.
The Bad: I like over the top cartoonish action films (Feast ). I like alternative film noir (The Last Seduction ), and I like B movie exploitation films (Re-Animator). Small Town Crime never seems to know which it is trying to be. It never stays in one lane and the writer and director simply don’t have the craft to completely pull off the tonal changes.
For the first hour or so the film seems to be right in a perfect David Lynch groove but it never seems to want to pull the trigger in either weirdness or depravity. Sometimes the film very effectively shows the violence but other times it simply fades to black to revisit the scene later with little rhyme or reason. Considering the storyline of the film it is also a surprise that there is virtually no sex or nudity.
Small Town Crime is not exploitative enough to be a guilty pleasure. There are some great character moments in the film and some great action scenes. One could easily see how the film could have gone to a darker place, could have worn it’s B movie roots on its sleeve, or could have been a little more over the top with its action (though in all fairness it does pretty much nail this in the final third of the film). Too realistic to be cartoonish, too good-natured to be noir and too chaste to be exploitation Small Town Crime finds itself in a grey middle ground.
Also, the title of the film is awful. Sounds like a hidden Netflix category.
In Conclusion: Despite my words above, I had a really fun time with this movie. I don’t see myself revisiting it anytime soon but it is certainly worth a watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
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A solid performance and story with average cinematography and direction, but kept the audience intrigued throughout the whole course.
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Unlikely good movie enjoyed it thoroughly. Well acted decent storyline. Surprisingly
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