Dark Country (2009) Reviews

• Brave story telling, but not a film for everyone.

  Phil-5312009-10-01

  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.

• Another Highway to Hell experience

  the_wolf_imdb2012-02-05

  This movie is small independent gem. Expect no ordinary thriller but rather "Lynch style experience". It seems to start as a ordinary Las Vegas story but it quickly deteriorates into strange thriller and then finally into supernatural thriller that defies rational explanation. It is somewhat similar to "Identity" or "Lost Highway" rather than normal crime thriller. I like the minimalistic style of the movie combined with unusual camera. The camera effect really do shine in this movie. The movie is a little bit too much "style over substance", but it is still acceptable. It is definitely worth 1-2 USD rent / cheap buy if you do love supernatural thrillers. If you wish to see "regular Vegas movie" or "regular crime movie", you should rather look elsewhere. You would be seriously disappointed. This movie is really "different". I was really pleasantly surprised by it!

• Lost Highway

  Matt_Layden2010-11-23

  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.

• Thomas Jane's Film Noir

  x0832010-02-08

  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.

• Outre and arresting thriller

  Woodyanders2015-06-11

  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.