Shadows on the Wall

Mob Land

dir-scr Nicholas Maggio
prd Corey Large, Bernie Gewissler
with John Travolta, Shiloh Fernandez, Stephen Dorff, Kevin Dillon, Ashley Benson, Timothy V Murphy, Tia DiMartino, Robert Miano, Debra Nelson, Emily Tremaine, Jesse Sharp, Tommy Kendrick
release US/UK 25.Aug.23
23/Canada 1h51

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A standard crime thriller plot is livened up by gritty performances and edgy writing and directing by Nicholas Maggio. Plenty of cliches emerge as a situation spirals into nasty violence, but the strong cast add unexpected nuance to characters, which helps the viewer navigate the uneven tone and choppy storytelling. The pacing may sometimes feel a bit static, but unexpected textures that make the film worth a look.

In the rural South, mechanic Shelby (Fernandez) has a nice life with his wife Caroline (Benson) and their young daughter Mila (DiMartino). In need of cash, Shelby gives in to pressure from Caroline's brother Trey (Dillon) to rob a local pill dealer. But of course things take a violent turn, and now the fearsome New Orleans mobster Clayton (Dorff) is after them. Sheriff Bodie (Travolta), who is Shelby's uncle, and his deputy Ben (Murphy) are on the case. When their bosses opt to look the other way, Bodie decides he doesn't have anything to lose.

Throwing a straight-arrow family man into a wildly unhinged situation feels very familiar, but the setting has an unusually vivid kick to it, thanks to the matter-of-fact attitude of the locals. This adds an offbeat sense of humour to even the most intense scenes, especially when Clayton coerces Shelby into a series of violent activities, punctuated by over-extended philosophical conversations. Meanwhile, Bodie quietly compiles evidence about what's happening here and who's really responsible. And he tries to save as many people as he can.

Deadpan dialog is amusingly drawled by the actors, who add personal touches that bring these stereotypical characters to life. Fernandez has a terrific physicality that expresses his deeper feelings, as Shelby is increasingly driven by some very grim emotions. His desperation feels unusually raw, complicated by the things he is forced to do. As the world-weary Bodie, a quietly charismatic Travolta has a steely tenacity plus terrifically offhanded banter with everyone on-screen. Meanwhile, Dorff plays Clayton with a calm brutality that's repulsive, so he's genuinely frightening and unpredictable.

There's a nice irony when Clayton's boss (Miano) tells him that his swaggering Steve McQueen/Johnny Cash schtick feels tired, because it really does. But Dorff never blinks. When Maggio allows us to watch scenes with a clear-eyed view, he finds remarkably striking beauty even in the darker moments involving mortality and pain. And this pointedly widens out to include a community that is being killed by addiction and criminality. So while the plot takes some staggeringly bleak turns, there's an undercurrent of real emotion.

themes, language, violence 21.Aug.23

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