But make no mistake, Pluto is evil incarnate, a calculating psychopath with an IQ of 150 and a chilling capacity for violence. Poised and steely, Pluto lets Ray loose like a crazed pit bull, reining him in when appropriate. Pluto is a quiet contrast to Ray’s redneck savagery, yet he pulls the strings. He treats the inhabitants with total brutality, kicking them in the face and dousing their hair with lighter fluid, waving a lighter with cruel relish. Ray isn’t one to negotiate his guiding instinct is violence of a mindless, animal kind.
It begins in a whirlwind of violence as criminal trio Ray (Billy Bob Thornton), Pluto (Michael Beach) and Fantasia (Cynda Williams) burst into a Los Angeles home, looking for a trove of cash and cocaine.
Happily, this unsung status causes One False Move to be a most satisfying discovery, for it is a film of vicious force and emotional depth that has no flaw worth mentioning. But like most entries in my retrospective series, One False Move was to be a footnote, neglected and forgotten, with a meagre 9806 votes on IMDb as testament. A city-by-city release followed, earning Carl Franklin’s film a modest box office of $1.5 million. Relegated to the direct-to-video market, it secured a theatrical run through glowing word of mouth, especially that of Gene Siskel, who named it his best film of 1992. Before A Simple Plan, there was One False Move – a neo noir that was underrated from its very inception.
0 kommentar(er)
