Cut Bank

... "except maybe self stimulation .. and even that takes patience" It is common knowledge that the Coen Bros don't do sequels so in a way it is the highest form of flattery that someone felt compelled to do possibly the closest thing to a sequel ... more of an homage really .. to Fargo. Those are big shoes to fill both in front of and behind the camera. Cut Bank Montana is as good a place as any to make the try. The direction is pretty solid, one of the best things about the film. Fargo had a bunch of local eccentrics but was showcased by one standout performance. Cut Bank does not have one standout performance but that is not necessarily a bad thing. In Cut Bank Montana everyone is on the same level of nuts, and that fact works to keep the film chugging along. My personal favorite was the local hermit who, upset that his mail is missing (that's another story arc that ties in later) walks around acting like Rain Main but at the same time going all MMA on anyone who gets into his way. Memorable. And pretty unique. Plots form. People plan, people die, people eat peach cobbler and say clever things .... and pretty soon the film is over. The ending is a highpoint. Clever. And sticks with you, like a Life Lesson you never asked for. Very fitting, if you live in Cut Bank. And want more than anything to leave. And Bruce Dern (late 70s) might now rank right up there with the Anthony Quinn (mid 80s) as one of the longest-working actors in film history. Props, Bruce. Would recommend.

I was attracted to this by cast. And what ? - Teresa Palmer looked gorgeous as usual, while Bruce Dern, John Malkovich and Billy Bob Thornton looked somehow older than they should. Was it intention of director, or they are really so old and slow now (maybe Bruce Dern is who is really old) ? I tend to blame director, who likely wanted them look exactly like that - old, slow, peripheral people. Then flow of highly improbable events started (spoilers on from now): Accidental shooting of shooting a man in field, then probably the stupidest part - showing that reward in post office - stupid because reward self, as is, and because it gave clue too early. After that, lame and unlikely events went throughout the end. I really don't want to go in every stupid detail, will just point on Derby Milton: how could that old, stupid and especially very slow retard overcome easily much younger people ? This is another big direction flaw in my opinion. And direction was overall just mediocre in best case. The story ? As said, highly unlikely, and far from anything original. We seen all it done much better. Finally, the message and final scene: really stupid message - leaving small provincial town is best what young people can do in their life ? Because such town is some kind of prison. Prison in heads, as was with kids on bicycles at final scene. People leaving big towns could say some words about .. Or I'm just too stupid to understand American Dream :-)

I thought this reminded me a bit of Fargo but my more observant companion correctly and more accurately though it was a bit of a tribute to Blood Simple. If the movie had a weakness it was that Liam Hemsworth seemed a bit flat or lost compared to the others. The story was good, few puzzles still remain unexplained regarding the background of Derby Milton, the character whose singular unravels the plans of the main character and unleashes chaos. The women all play peripheral roles and more or less stand around and look worried. The story felt fresh and although there was a resolution of sorts it was not too cliché.

How could you go wrong with Billy Bob Thornton, John Malkovich and Bruce Dern supporting this film? The simple answer is that the two leads, Liam Hemsworth and Teresa Palmer just don't do well as the characters the story is about. The script is interesting and dark with some initial unexpected twists arcing around two low-end-of-nowhere Midwestern kids a couple of years out of high school. The problem is the leads are being played by older looking yuppies in jeans who seem wildly out of place in an isolated farming community of 3,000. In fact it is sometimes almost sad seeing these two actors struggling to cover parts they physically grew out of five or even ten years ago. The only interesting performance here came from Michael Stuhlbarg who did well as a strange reclusive character Mr. Thornton cut his teeth on. Ironically enough, he looked right for his role, even though he seemed to be about the same age as the supposedly much younger leads. Is this a failure in casting, acting, directing or scripting? Not sure where the wheels fell off the wagon, but this film definitely misses the mark on a project that should have been a lot more compelling.

source: Cut Bank

Horrible acting all around. The character Derpy Milton was ridiculous. A lot the of the cut shots were unnecessary and did nothing to add to the movie.

Dwayne (Liam Hemsworth) concocts a plan to video tape the murder of mailman Georgie (Bruce Dern) to get the $100,000 reward and leave Cut Bank, Montana. Georgie and Match (David Burke) the Indian who does the actual shooting are part of the plan. Georgie must stay out of site. Complications arise when Derby Milton needs the package being sent to him in the mail and he goes looking and isn't concerned about anything else. Match was supposed to burn the mail, but didn't. Oh, oh! Cut Bank is a town in Montana that boasts being the coldest place on earth. So, in a way, this could be considered a FARGO type murder story as we have a plan that doesn't go like it should have. However, the weather isn't cold yet: it's summer time. You will see Derby be a better detective than Sheriff Vogel (John Malkovich) the way he goes about locating his package but he has a one-track mind and is oblivious to anything else going on around him Sheriff Vogel slowly investigates the murder after having seen the shooting on the video. Joe (Oliver Platt) the Postal Inspector from Washington DC, just needs to see the body to be able to award the $100,000. Big Stan (Billy Bob Thornton) runs an auto repair shop and Dwayne works for him. Cassendra (Teresa Palmer) is Big Stan's daughter and Dwayne's girlfriend, who is practicing to win the Miss Cut Bank title. Now you are up to date. This is an excellent cast in this well told story. There are some chuckles to be had, but this is not a comedy per se. A comedy of errorssort of. It's a fun movie. Yes, some people die, but Hey: it's only a movie. (waited a long time to throw that one in, eh?) There is a significant twist at the end - I didn't expect - but it worked well with all involved. (7/10) Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, not much though.

With rare exceptions small towns in American cinema are between two extremes. Either they are the ideal place, a shelter against the corruption of the big city or they're these stifling places of conformity where people want to bust loose as soon as possible. In It's A Wonderful Life George Bailey finds it first one way then the other. But in Cut Bank both the title of the film and the town where all the characters live it's most definitely the latter at least that's what Liam Hemsworth finds. But he's got obligations and a girl he loves in Teresa Palmer daughter of Billy Bob Thornton the richest guy in town. Hemsworth one fine day gets lucky, as he's videoing Palmer for a local beauty pageant in a field he happens to tape David Burke a very silent and stoic Blackfoot Indian shoot mailman Bruce Dern and then take off with the mail truck. Too good to be true. Clues to solving a federal crime involving the mails is payable by Uncle Sam's post office with a six figure reward. And postal official Oliver Platt is here to pay off. But when things are too good to be true they generally are. Then some bodies start piling up and a local eccentric played by Michael Stuhlbarg starts on a hunt for a missing parcel that was supposed to be delivered in the mail by Dern. Just like Fargo, another small town setting with a crime spree that originates with a plan dreamed up by an amateur and carried out by idiots. Cut Bank, Montana is certainly not Bedford Falls. It's more like the film Fargo. In fact there's one very definite parallel, the relationship between Hemsworth and Thornton is almost a duplicate of the one that amateur master criminal William H. Macy has with his father-in-law Harve Presnell. Presnell and Thornton treat the son-in- law and prospective son-in-law like manure which is half the problem. Sheriff John Malkovich whose sleepy little Montana town has never recorded a murder is soon awash in bodies. But when the truth comes out there's a surprise ending I guarantee you won't see coming especially if you think this is a Fargo clone. The cast ensemble delivers good performances but if I had to pick one out it would be Stuhlbarg. His town eccentric hermit is underplayed and frightening at the same time, a difficult thing to pull off. Cut Bank, Montana a town with an unexpected crime wave.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film! If you think of it as a sideways version of Fargo, you are on the right tack. At least that is how I felt when I watched this surprisingly captivating vehicle. The acting was excellent, the story kept my attention and the dialog and directing were executed (no pun intended) with style. John Malkovich stole the show, as he often does, with his portal of the reluctant and seemingly clueless sheriff. Billy Bob Thornton will anger you (through most of the film) and Bruce Dern's bumbling postman was absolutely flawless (rivals his great performance in Nebraska). A nod to Oliver Platt who is always a pleasure to watch and plays well off of Malkovich. The excellent supporting cast deserves note as well. Cut Bank is the perfect mix of darkness and levity that can be appreciated by all. One thing I am compelled to say: I can agree with comment from the resident of Cut Bank, MT who was disappointed that the film was not shot in the actual village of Cut Bank, however, one must remember that it is Hollywood itself that drove filmmakers out of the USA. They (the big studios) alone are to blame for turning studio back lots into deserted relics of the past.

How could you go wrong with Billy Bob Thornton, John Malkovich and Bruce Dern supporting this film? The simple answer is that the two leads, Liam Hemsworth and Teresa Palmer just don't do well as the characters the story is about. The script is interesting and dark with some initial unexpected twists arcing around two low-end-of-nowhere Midwestern kids a couple of years out of high school. The problem is the leads are being played by older looking yuppies in jeans who seem wildly out of place in an isolated farming community of 3,000. In fact it is sometimes almost sad seeing these two actors struggling to cover parts they physically grew out of five or even ten years ago. The only interesting performance here came from Michael Stuhlbarg who did well as a strange reclusive character Mr. Thornton cut his teeth on. Ironically enough, he looked right for his role, even though he seemed to be about the same age as the supposedly much younger leads. Is this a failure in casting, acting, directing or scripting? Not sure where the wheels fell off the wagon, but this film definitely misses the mark on a project that should have been a lot more compelling.