Texas Killing Fields (2011)
The swamps are always a good place for a spooky murder mystery. I was pretty much unaware that Texas had anything resembling a bayou, but upon pondering its close proximity to Louisiana (where the movie was actually filmed), I guess it makes perfect sense. Films about serial killers, mass murders and cookie crumb trail detective stories need to be well structured and presented if they are to exclude themselves from the gargantuan amount of already existing movies of a similar note. When done well, they can make for the most entertaining, thrilling and challenging stories which cinema has to offer. When they fail, they can be excruciating.
Texas Killing Fields falls somewhere in between. It contains brilliant performances from Jefferey Dean Morgan and Chloe Moretz, with a slightly ambling (but far from poor) appearance by Sam Worthington. The plot which surrounds the disappearence of girls from the area over the course of several decades is an intriguing one (it is tenously based on real life events) but it is never really made clear whether there is any connection in the crimes of if they are just a serious of opportunistic killings which take advantage of the suitably abandoned old oil fields. The marshy land, along with the plethora of hungry wildlife would mean that a body would not take too long to disappear altogether.
There are a few sub plots which tie the story together when needed but which also never really go anywhere. Maybe they’re not meant to, life doesn’t always wrap itself up nicely for us. It was originally pitched as a Danny Boyle project. Boyle, however, declined stating that the subject matter was ‘too dark‘ which basically means that it wasn’t ‘Oscar friendly‘, oh Danny, how you’ve fallen from credibility since those heydays of yore. From dead babies and Dr Who wanking in the attic to boring films about twats getting stuck in rocks and poor boy becomes rich boy vomit fests. The directorial duties were passed on to Ami Canaan Mann, daughter of Michael Mann of ‘Heat‘ fame.
She does a sterling job, creating a sweaty, tense thriller which stands out from the alumni of 2011 (which in this writer’s humble opinion was a pretty piss poor year for movies). Morgan is a fantastic burly leading man who needs to be utilised to far greater effect by the powers that be. He is a captivating and highly believable actor who really should be getting far more attention than he is. Watching him is like watching a mixture of Clooney and Downey Jr, except he’s a really good actor. Stephen Graham throws in a solid and creepy performance as well.
Texas Killing Fields is a worthy weekend watch, it will keep you (marginally) guessing and will definitely leave you satisfied by the end. It is also worth mentioning that it has an absolutely brilliant and haunting score.
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