This is a film that slipped under the radar upon its release and I would like to shine a spotlight on it for a while. Written and directed by Academy Award winning writer William Monahan (The Departed 2006) is a high in suspense thriller with a well articulated game of cat and mouse. The movie opens with Thomas (Garrett Hedlund), a troubled artist who leaves his home in Hollywood to spend some time in the Mojave desert. Only to cross paths with Jack (Oscar Isaac), a drifter with a dark side.
It's not long after meeting that a strange rivalry is forged between them as Jack hunts Thomas through the great desert wasteland. Monahan doesn't let the environment go to waste either as he captures some beautiful wide shots, showing just how secluded they are. Monahan masters the use of lighting in this movie creating moody atmospheres helping feed that tension between these characters yet leaving the sets feeling organic. The tension escalates between the two throughout the movie at a great pace as if it is gaining momentum as Thomas' situation goes downhill leading to a hugely anticipated climactic finale. The characters have an unusual gravitas to them through the little dialogue spoken and it just shows the power these actors possess from a few facial expressions and their posture. Not to forget how this film reveals the personality of each character via their costumes, not just for the leads but the supporting characters. The main cast of Hedlund and Isaac have a very powerful presence when on screen and it is not stolen from them when supporting actor Mark Whalberg makes his appearance. Mr. Cynic is rating this 8/10
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