CLAY PIGEONS RATING: 7.5 / 10 --> Re-Watchable
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This film is like U-TURN (8/10) without the big name cast, like RED ROCK WEST (8/10) without the John Dahl touch of noir, and like BLOOD SIMPLE (8/10) without the Coen brothers' overly stylish caress. Director David Dobkin tackles this black comedy about a mysterious small town killer in his feature film debut.
PLOT: Small town America is the setting. Joaquin Phoenix is the innocent young man who gets raveled in a tale of two suspicious deaths in his town. He finds both dead bodies, and suddenly develops an instant following within the FBI. Lester Long is the stranger in town who befriends Joaquin, and oozes enigmatic. Dead bodies, twists, turns and bitingly dark comedy ensues.
CRITIQUE: Quirky little small town murder mystery film, generates enough style, plot and original characters to stand out among the umpteen other movies that blazed its trail before it. This film also has an eclectic little soundtrack, with several well-chosen Elvis tunes blaring during some of the most gratifying scenes, but lacks the absolute believability in its so-so ending. Some people may have a bigger problem with its conclusion, but I bought it for the most part, because of the way that the characters had been built up during the entire film.
Vince Vaughn pulls off another dynamic performance as Lester the self-proclaimed "molester", and spices his character up with one of the honkiest laughs this side of Fran Dresher. Joaquin Phoenix also delivers a solid performance as the naïve country bumpkin caught in a situation highly beyond his limited resourcefulness, and the female vixen in this tale, actress Mary Lou, pulls off a great femme fatale whose only reasons for living seem drenched in sex, cigarettes and booze (did I mention sex?). Speaking of cigarettes, I don't think there is one character in this film that doesn't smoke (except the clueless deputy Barney, of course), but then again, I guess that's to be expected from this genre.
The movie also starts off with a really cool tete-a-tete scene and ends with a unique, unbelievable to some, but mostly Hollywoodian conclusion. Overall, I thought the movie worked on most fronts, delivering the ripped off stylish flair from various Coen and Oliver Stone based films (But who doesn't rip off the greats anyway), great performances by all of the main actors and their offspring, an interesting plot involving murders galore, plenty of sexcapades, goofy country folk, and a bizarre yet effective soundtrack to blend it all together. If you liked any of the three films that I mentioned in my introduction, you will most probably enjoy this fable as well, especially if you dig any of the lead actors. Either way, a nacho-chompin' treat indeed!
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars: Scott Free is the production company that produced this film. It is operated by the Scott brothers, better known as directors Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. An obvious wink to themselves in this film, comes by the way of a scene where actress Janeane Garofalo is watching a movie in her hotel room, while enjoying some pot and pizza. The film is ALIEN (8/10)- directed by said Ridley Scott, and next to the television set lie two other video tapes entitled: TRUE ROMANCE (9/10)- directed by brother Tony Scott, and SWINGERS (8.5/10)- the classic Vince Vaughn film that launched his career back in 1996. Nice touch, guys! Director Dobkin acknowledged the influence of the Coen brothers' BLOOD SIMPLE film, but also claimed that he was equally moved by the adaptation of Truman Capote's IN COLD BLOOD. Dobkin, a native of Washington D.C., comes from a commercials and rock-music video background. He's directed videos for Elton John, John Lee Hooker, Coolio and Tupac Shakur. Janeane Garofalo originally passed on this script because she thought there was a misogynist tone to it, but eventually folded, and loved shooting the flick in wonderfully shot Utah. That's where she found her dog, Dew. She prepped for her role by watching "a lot of cop TV" and visiting a shooting range. This film was previously titled IN TOO DEEP.
Review Date: October 11, 1998
Director: David Dobkin
Writer: Matthew L. Healy
Producers: Ridley Scott and Chris Zarpas
Actors: Vince Vaughn as Lester Long
Joaquin Phoenix as Clay Birdwell
Janeane Garofalo as Dale Shelby
Georgina Cates as Amanda
Genre: Thriller
Year of Release: 1998
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(c) 1998 Berge Garabedian
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