Big Muddy
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Headline:
Son Follows in Outlaw Mom’s Footsteps in Neo Noir Reminiscent
of Red Rock West
Martha Barlow (Nadia
Litz) is a femme fatale with a checkered past and plenty of skeletons in her
closet. Consequently, she’s done her best to keep off the grid, raising her
son, Andy (Justin Kelly), in relative seclusion in rural Saskatchewan.
Seems like
everybody around their tiny prairie town is the sort of unsavory character you
cross the street to avoid, including Martha’s boyfriend/ and partner in crime,
Tommy (Rossif Sutherland). The couple’s favorite haunt is the local racetrack
which is where they concoct cockamamie con games, like robbing a bar patron who
has propositioned a prostitute by waiting to pounce until the john is in a
compromising position. The pair’s felonious antics don’t sit well with teenaged
Andy, who hangs out at the track because the girl (Holly Deveaux) he has a
crush on works there.
The plot thickens during
an attempted shakedown gone wrong, after Tommy shoots the horse of an owner who
refuses to be intimidated. The situation further degenerates when the tables
are turned and Tommy takes a bullet from the barrel of the victim’s gun.
Seeing his mother’s life
threatened, Andy reluctantly gets involved, and the next thing you know mother
and son are on the run. As fugitives from justice, Martha and Andy seek refuge
at the home of her estranged father (Stephen McHattie), a geezer disinclined to
offer them a port in the storm, especially since he’s never even met his
grandson before. Another fly in the ointment is the fact that Andy’s father
(David La Haye) has escaped from prison and is intent on tracking down Martha.
Thus unfolds Big
Muddy, an intriguing neo noir marking the impressive directorial debut of
Jefferson Moneo. Atmospheric and absorbing, this well-crafted whodunit is
rather reminiscent of Red Rock West (1999), for folks familiar with that cult classic
co-starring Nicolas Cage and Dennis Hopper.
A deliberately-paced, multi-layered mystery, tailor-made for nostalgic,
pulp fiction fans.
Excellent
(4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 104 minutes
Distributor: Monterey Media
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