Friday 14 October 2011

Texas Killing Fields (2011) Dir: Ami Canaan Mann


Invoking the word Texas in a movie about murder and mayhem is sure to cast one's thoughts back to a seminal movie from the mid seventies, but any connection between Chain Saw Massacre and this release begins and ends there.

The plot:
A pair of homicide detectives team up to attempt to solve a series of murders and disappearances in The Bayous, all of them involving young women.

Nothing else to add, plot wise, but that should in no way suggest any kind of deficiency with the movie.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
Eschewing gore and sensationalism, here the focus is entirely on atmosphere, as a haunting and incredibly tense tapestry is woven, pulling you in to the story.
Based on a true story - though we all know what a shady term that is - the events depicted are grisly in the extreme, and the terrifying and sinister underbelly of society is exposed as a dreadful, sickly thing, teetering on the brink of insanity.
Danny Boyle was initially on board as director, but walked away, declaring the subject matter 'so dark it will never be made' but, thankfully, he was incorrect.
Sam 'Avatar' 'Clash of the Titans' Worthington puts in a decent performance for once, but one point of complaint is the woeful under use of Chloë 'Hit Girl' Moretz who, essentially, was only in the movie to play the role of victim. A shame, as she is an actress worth paying attention to in future. For someone so young, she seems incredibly wise.
Whilst the pace and general tone will be off putting to some, those who like their movies dark and brooding could do a lot worse than to check out this understated movie but, if you are interested, I'd hurry along, as it won't be on screen for long.

4 out of 10

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