There was an error, please provide a valid email address. The China Brothers pay close attention to detail and focus in on unexpected, interesting camera angles throughout the film. Upon leaving the next morning, Bernadette picks up the picture Sam laid down. There were 12 other movies released on the same date, including The Star, Wonder and Zack Snyder's Justice League. Theres something far too squirrely in the siblings wickedly funny, regionally infused sensibility to be replicated, and nearly everyone who tries falls flat. an affair with motel owner Sam and shes not devastated by her loss. He lives in Chicago, plays Dungeons and Dragons, and struggles not to kill his two cats daily. 12 of 13 The Watsons Go To Birmingham 2017 Crown Media Filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. Sign UpYes, I would like to receive Paste's newsletter, 2023 Paste Media Group. [4] For directing, Dagg was nominated for the Directors Guild of Canada's DGC Discovery Award. Terms and Policies Ugh. For me this is a common problem. Satisfied, he leaves and meets with Paul to enlist his services to do a job to which Paul agrees. Best part is ,,you don't see it coming. Every character from his loved ones to his business patrons, plays a part in the unravelling of this community. Jon Bernthal 7/10 Contact Lori, VFO Locations Manager, with the particulars of your shoot. The acting is superb and cinematography is profoundly impressive. Cinemark film noir, femme fatale, 1940s, thriller or intriguing, cops, murder, thriller, detective or crime, gangster, crime, criminal, violence or ruthless. named Sweet Virginia in honor of the state from which the lead character, two men accompanying his target. Loss and revenge. Problems arise when all Lila inherits are debts and shes unable to compensate Tom, Lou, and Mitchell are playing poker at Lou's bar. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Then, as she approaches a He checks into Sams hotel under the name of Elwood, and reveals only fragments of himself to others although the film privileges us by eavesdropping on a private moment in which he calls his ailing mother from the hotel room, offering a valuable insight into the torment that fuels his temper (a dimension overlooked in characters like Chigurh, where the less we know, the scarier they seem). When Lila enters the diner after riding with Bernadette to get milkshakes, Sam calls her over to the table and introduces her to Elwood. Elwood, Christopher Abbott (whose credits include indie movies and TV work) room at the motel and befriends Sam, whom he recognizes from his rodeo days. Killer Joe. Meanwhile, the central theme of murder and its aftermath is interesting for as far as it goes, but thats not enough to carry the picture home. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Elwood searches the room but finds that Sam has escaped through the bathroom window. This movie sure was well worth my time. The killer, a steely-eyed psychopath named Elwood (Christopher Abbott) Elwood is played by Christopher Abbott, whos before undermined the innocent face and soft-spoken demeanor inherent in his recurrence as an ex-boyfriend thats fallen on hard times in Girls, but never like this. Hes a damaged-goods drifter catering to other drifters, running in place from some heartbreak he cant quite forget. The motels owner, an ex-rodeo star named Sam (Jon Bernthal), is a burly, bearded cowboy with a limp and early-onset Parkinsons. murder. Stay up-to-date on all the latest Rotten Tomatoes news! They got a budget reduction while filming or something. Sam befriends Elwood, and they go to a local diner where Sam talks about his health and why he shakes. My fiance and i sat here for like 5 minutes afterwards coming up with different endings that would have been betterdid the writer just give up? Set in a remote corner of Alaska, this small-town, blue-collar thriller is surprisingly cast, exceptionally well acted (male leads Jon Bernthal and Christopher Abbott might have easily switched roles, though its far more effective in this arrangement), and executed potently enough to leave a lasting impression, like scar tissue after a serious burn. They discuss whether Tom is in heaven or hell and Sam seems regretful of his relationship with Bernadette. It's a classic case of a little becoming a lot onscreen on the basis of boasting dark atmosphere, eerie score and superb performances. All people are so sad all the time. Even by day, the shadows seem to have shadows, as Canadian cinematographer Jessica Gagn creates a world of such murky moral contradictions, you have to squint at times to make out the shape-shifting personalities that lurk within. Score was so good as to I couldnt say if it had one. Lets face it: Most Coen brothers knockoffs arent very good. I will do. The villian is really the one you least expect and sympathy is garnered for the obvious ones. The title Sweet Virginia refers to an earlier draft of the film set in the American south involving a cowboy killer and all the rest of it. Elwood takes the money from the safe and leaves. Summaries. Excuse my spelling. A former rodeo champ befriends a young man with a propensity for violence. The best music, movies, TV, books, comedy and more. Director Jamie M. Dagg Writers Paul China Benjamin China Stars Jon Bernthal Christopher Abbott Imogen Poots See production, box office & company info Watch on AMC+ with Prime Video Channels More watch options Add to Watchlist 101 User reviews 69 Critic reviews 72 Metascore It's a mystery, drama that will haunt you at the end. Sweet Virginia is a 2017 neo-noir thriller film directed by Jamie M. Dagg, written by Benjamin China and Paul China, and starring Jon Bernthal, Christopher Abbott, Imogen Poots, Rosemarie DeWitt, Odessa Young and Jared Abrahamson. Drama. Its strength is in its restraint. . Much of the movies potency comes from the way it withholds certain information until just the right moment, and how the combination of several seemingly contradictory brushstrokes can render a character we perceived one way in a completely new light although light is by far the scarcest resource on offer here. It isnt. Despite that when it all comes together the end result and overall story just doesn't feel worth it despite the majority of individual components working very well together it just came out a bit average. sits trapped, the headlights move closer There are three or four such moments headlights of a car that appears to be tracking her. It's certainly worth the hour and a half you'd spend watching it. You know what is going to happen. However, his condition prevents him from throwing a punch and he is then overpowered and left lying in the rain. Elwoods on a short fuse, you see; he drives around town talking to himself, making profane observation about the locals; after one pay phone conversation near a convenience store, Elwood kicks the crap out of some punks who are looking at him funny; with every line reading and twitch of the shoulder you can see Abbott congratulating himself on playing a genuine PSYCHO whos also complex because of his terse one-sided phone conversations with his terminally ill mother down south of Alaska. Elwood refuses claiming that they are "square", a reference to him letting Bernadette live. By creating an account, you agree to the seeking out. 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I can usually stick with crime stories that have a sense of humor. thing surprising about Elwood is that hes accepting money for something he As for Elwood (okay Ill stop), we learn early on that he was hired by another local wife, Lila, who hated her husband and wanted him dead so she could collect his money WITH WHICH, and heres the rub, she was going to pay Elwood, and then do other things. 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. I guess God acts crazy.. In his 1956 essay On A Book Entitled Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov recounts both the imaginative origins of his groundbreaking novel and the difficulty he had finding a publisher for it in the United States. ex-rodeo star Sam (Jon Bernthal) hails. But screenwriter Russell Dvonch says "there was only one sequence where the 3-D effect really worked, a scene with a lot of. Cool ideas and themes, some gripping action, and some decent performances (for the most part) make this film passable. They open a ton of threads about all of them in subtle, natural ways, plus relationships between some of them By what name was Sweet Virginia (2017) officially released in India in English? At the motel the manager was having an affair with one of the victims. Literally: Nighttime seems endless in this film, either shot at twilight or during the witching hour, the perfect environment for Elwood, a hitman with the single-minded intensity of a Travis Bickle or an Anton Chigurh, who sits in his room at a sprawling motel like a dormant volcano (and the viewers are the only geologists in town). Whoa. Read Less. Indie crime films tend to be missed by the masses, unlike indie comedy which can garner more interest. And who is this monster, who brings violence to a community that needs guns only for hunting, changing the entire dynamic of a town so small that everyone (believes he) knows everyones business already? This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Small town politics. Strong yet soft-spoken, The Walking Dead star Benthal plays Sam Rossi, an ex-rodeo champ who now operates a spartan motel on what feels like the brink of the world. In it, we find a rural American thriller that in the first minutes already reveals the reason for the events that will provoke a series of, Jon Bernthal was the main character in this and Im still fairly sure he has less screen time than his costars. Just below that it reads "Ticket Confirmation#:" followed by a 10-digit number. Bernthal is somewhat more relaxed as a one-time tough guy just trying to come into his house justified, but, not to put too fine a point on it, so what. boring characters except for elwood (1 viewing). And yet, going deep is what makes Sweet Virginia great heck, more than great. A former rodeo champ befriends a young man with a propensity for violence. The assassin and manager strike an uneasy relationship. Gave it 10. Lost track of which characters were doing what because it was so dark. It definitely had moments of surprise, finding out that Lila was guilty and creepiness in general but they were just glimpses of what could have been a great thriller. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution. This was a strong movie, yet subtle in every way. Thats the bleak punchline opening Appalachian neo-noir Sweet Virginia, a film which rambles, hidden in the darkness of a town where dawn never seems to break. Just embarrassing. Dagg understands the importance of a thriller not This small gem is worth The title has survived because one of the films central locations, a motel, is Super engaging scenes that makes you learn about all of them. Bernadette (Rosemarie DeWitt) loses her husband of 18 years in the melee, and turns to local motel manager Sam (Jon Bernthal) for solace. Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. Rated R Cinematography 7/10 And it takes place in Alaska (though filmed in British Columbia), where we open with a triple homicide in a small. There is no reason whatsoever to watch this snooze fest. The specific setting of Alaska isnt relevant (in fact, the movie was filmed to Later that night, Lila receives the threatening voicemail and tries to run away from home, but is attacked by Elwood. Theres loss in every prop decorating his home and work, as opposed to the blank living quarters of the hitman. I dare you to try that today. The website's consensus reads, "Smart and well-acted, Sweet Virginia delivers a tense, atmospheric thriller that transcends genre conventions even as it embraces them. Elwood attempts to get in his car to flee, but Sam shoots and kills him. The series' excellence and futuristic approach didn't end in its casting and storyline. Ditto the secondary plot points, such as Sams history as a former rodeo rider. character moments and tense, atmospheric filmmaking. The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth: Season 8, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 1, Link to Marvel Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Link to The 5 Most Anticipated Movies of March 2023. Learn more. Film data from TMDb. The Virginia Film Office does not issue film permits; however, we're happy to help determine if you need one and who to talk to. Many of the locations used are filmed in Hope, Canada which is also the location for 'First Blood'. Only criticism for my ears was a lot of the communication was low key,and I had to turn it up a fair bit. Jon Bernthal Christopher Abbott Imogen Poots Rosemarie DeWitt Odessa Young Jonathan Tucker Joseph Lyle Taylor Garry Chalk Jared Abrahamson Gabrielle Rose Mike Dopud Darcy Laurie Scott A. McGillivray Thers Amee Victoria Bidewell Kathryn Kirkpatrick Shawn Orr Cameron Hilts Rick Pearce Linda Jones, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones Aram Tertzakian Nate Bolotin Chris Ferguson Giuliana Bertuzzi Rian Cahill Fernando Loureiro Roberto Vasconcellos Jesse Savath, Automatik Entertainment XYZ Films Oddfellows Entertainment Exhibit Entertainment, Thrillers and murder mysteries Crime, drugs and gangsters Westerns But in this film, the consequences are very negative. We're in small town America (apparently, Alaska, though I don't remember them mentioning that in the film, and it was filmed in British Columbia, of course). i too would cheat on my husband with jon bernthal with 0 remorse. railroad crossing, the gates come down and a train impedes her progress. Bernthal is one of those character actors that deserves these central roles, he tends to be relegated to supporting roles which is okay but not great. being followed. has been hired by a young woman, Lila (Imogen Poots), to get rid of her Coming Soon. This plays out like a good old fashioned film noir and sadly it does not go very well for all the characters involved. I can think of three straight away. Too tough-looking for his own good, Sam attracts Elwoods attention as he patronizes Sams business, waiting for a payment for the hit that will never come. The camera moves slow and methodically, often lingering on a frame for a second too long. Access all of our expanded, online-only, subscriber exclusive opinion writing. Dont worry, it wont take long. He has written for a host of other publications and resides in Brooklyn. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! Hes much tougher than he looks, and the only person he becomes close with during his stay is the exact opposite. "Sweet Virginia" is an uncommonly dark movie. Guns N' Roses, Stevie Nicks, Janet Jackson and Wizkid are on sale now. Sweet Virginia is an uncommonly dark movie. She stabs and kills Paul and is chased by Elwood. Abbott's unhinged performance is nicely balanced out by Bernthal's stoicism. , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. Read more about cookies here. The film doesn't have much of a point, as its characters are reductive variables in an inevitable equation of carnage. The photo is of a woman and a young girl. It was released on November 17, 2017, by IFC Films. They set up the characters really well. Sam leaves Maggie's basketball game to spend the night with Bernadette. Nothing worse than that ott ,,feel this now ,,base obviousness. The killer sets up stall in a motel run by a former rodeo star. Copyright Fandango. Pretty predictable. it holds a lot of power over me like its scary. loneliness and emptiness of a location that might be difficult to find on all You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off, Berlinale 2023 Highlights, Part Two: Reality, Manodrome, The Adults, Inside, Golda, Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser, Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson Feted at SBIFF 2023, Revisiting Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Tragically Common: Jamie Dack, Lily McInerny and Jonathan Tucker on Palm Trees and Power Lines. It may be predictable, but it sure isn't boring. Pros: Problem with small towns is everybody leaves 'em. Elwood. Starring Jane Seymour. I doubt I'll remember having watched it in a few years time but it certainly wasn't bad. 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