Too Late

Any movie about a PI that looks decent will be on my radar. I not particularly a fans a special effects and action either. Gratuitous dialog coming off the wall from unlikely quirky characters is Noir to the bone! There is even some comments about classic noir in the script, which is clearly a homage. My favorite Tarrantino is the dialog heavy early stuff, and I don't have any use for "Kill Bill" and some of his other forays. I love "True romance","Jackie Brown", and "Reservoir dogs". The fact that the dialog is unlikely coming from characters in such circumstances, makes things interesting and less predictable to me. The movie also has some impacting plot twists, which caught me by complete surprise. If you want action, this won't be your thing. If you're into noir, good chance you'll like this flick.

Greetings again from the darkness. The first feature film from writer/director Dennis Hauck has a number of elements that are appealing to movie lovers on the lookout for something a bit outside the box. It's the type of film that would be a festival favorite, as it provides no shortage of "talking points" for discussion afterwards. Of course, casting John Hawkes is always a good start. Here he plays a Private Investigator named Sampson. The story is presented in 5 segments – each filmed in one extended shot. Oh, and it's not presented in sequential order, so some assembly is required. The real end to the story is not the same as the ending of the movie, and the beginning of the story is actually in the middle of the movie. Confused yet? Well a loss of equilibrium is what makes this one so much fun to watch. Characters and story lines are intertwined - some accidentally, some secretly, and some surprisingly. Hawkes appears in each of the five segments, and sprinkled throughout you will find such recognizable faces as Robert Forster, Jeff Fahey, Natalie Zea, Joanna Cassidy, Crystal Reed, Dash Mihok, Rider Strong, Vail Bloom, Sydney Tamilia Poitier and singer Sally Jaye. A strip club, the Hollywood hills, a Park Ranger, a suicide, and multiple murders all are key pieces to the puzzle … and none are presented exactly as we would expect. With an unpolished 1970's look and feel, the film offers a touch of Tarantino (including some of the actors who have worked with him), but mostly the vibe is refreshingly throwback. Even the music … Joe Tex, Cowboy Junkies, etc … is a bit offbeat, and of course, any movie that references Genevieve Bujold and Choose Me deserves a special place in my heart. It may not be the typically structured PI murder mystery that we have come to expect, but an unusual approach and the performance of Hawkes, makes this one to see.

Definitely a modern film noir. John Hawkes is wonderfully gritty but there are 2 things that make this movie a real pleasure to watch. 1. The women. So many beautiful women. Crystal Reed is hauntingly beautiful but all the women are lovely. As a movie buff I have become aware of how much a director can influence the on screen presence of a women. Dennis Hauck is a master. All of the women even in very rough scenes are incredibly enticing. This is about understanding the natural beauty of the women and then working with makeup, lighting and angles to make scenes where the camera 'loves' the women. 2. The pure artistry of the camera work. Watch the angles. The colors . This is the director and the DP creating art. Watch and enjoy.

Hats off to this film and the team. Really an interesting tale and told in an unconventional way. Always nice to see movies which break the mold and challenge the audience. Hawkes is great and the rest of the cast is really strong. You can feel the flaws in these characters as they try to sort out the connections between them. The film has an unique style which does aid in the storytelling and keeps the audience wanting more. Great chemistry between the actors and they really do tie the whole film together with their layered characters. Enjoyed the texture of the 35mm film. While not the perfect digital imagery which has become commonplace... it's flaws give the gritty story an authenticity which matches it perfectly. Really enjoyed it... highly recommended.

I want to thank the writers, producers, actors and anyone involved in the birth of this incredible film. After seeing only fifteen minutes of this film, I knew that hope beyond hope, there is some moron who will fund any kind of garbage like this one. No matter how mundane the dialogue, how stupid the plot, so long as there is one woman half naked and stupid men sucking on cigars. That's the thing! The premise is good. If only the film were. The actors are probably trying to get adjusted to the unbelievability of it all. This pathetic piece of garbage should never be destroyed. It should be used as an example of the incredible stupidity of this industry.

This is a bad imitation of Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" complete with almost backward story order (something like scenes #2,#5,#1,#3,#6,#4), and it is weighed down by unlikely dialogue with too many self-references to cinematic conventions. I was expecting more because so many people liked this movie, but the very things that some liked or that only slightly bruised the product for others, are major peeves for me. I did not care for the self- consciousness of the dialogue, plot or camera work. The P.I. who learned his trade from a book is an annoying gimmick, as is the surveilling detective as a metaphor for guys stalking women. I can only say in its favor that this movie has several good performances and gave work to some of my favorites including Robert Forster ("Jackie Brown") in cameo roles.

This is the L. A. I remember. This is also Raymond Chandler updated for the 21st Century. This is salvation for the *, and powerful women, and good-hearted people in a world full of sin. Don't miss this one if you like crime and/or Neo-Noir.

It was an amazing experience. It's a narrative told in a very nonlinear style. The first thing I thought of was Tarantino, but it's very not Tarantino, as it's not heavy on Trivial dialog, it's very to the point and counts on the emotion of these well designed characters. characters well done that come alive with great actors. Lead by John Hawkes the actors all had amazing chemistry with each other. I was surprised by how many actors I actually knew on this small film. Like Rider Strong from Boy meets World and Robert Forester, to name just two. It's really worth it to catch it on a screen showing it in 35mm. The camera work and the cinematography add so much to the personality of the film. Pure enjoyment, highly recommended.

I get that people like movies that are "different" or "artsy" but this is just different. And not the good kind. It is artsy the way a globe welded to a swan shaped piece of metal is artsy. That only means something to people who can find meaning in a globe welded to a swan shaped piece of metal. When I think of art I think of the Mona Lisa. Memento was different and good. This isn't Memento, or anything like it. But it tries, so I guess nowadays it gets a trophy. The running dialogues are just weird, like watching reruns of NYPD Blue. People don't talk like that in real life, to each other or themselves. Hint: You have to wait until the end of the movie to find out "things" that are not really explained. Except not, because it has different "endings" or maybe they are different parallel universes. Or maybe the guy is superhuman and survives each time he gets murdered. Or maybe he is crazy and is imagining everything. Guess what? Who cares. No one. No one who watched this movie to the end cares because it made no sense and ended dumb. Ramen noodle soup cooling off is more entertaining and provides a return on the time investment. I only watched it because some of the previous reviewers said it was good. As bad as it is it will never achieve the status of The Room. Now that was art, an unintentional concoction of things intended but never delivered.

Too Late