Cut Bank Has Moments of Great Suspense, But Falls Flat Within Its Twisted Narrative
Cut Bank begins with an absolutely dead-on familiarity with small-town life in the frigid landscape of Montana, “the coldest spot in the nation.”
The thriller it could've been
After its intriguing opening, Cut Bank attempts to twist its story around to become a kind of satire with hints of comedy – some are hit and miss – mixing them against suspense and violence. Unfortunately, this lack of focus on character development, and cramming too much into a story that doesn't require such texture, holds this movie back from being the thriller it could've become.
Dwayne McLaren (Hemsworth) has been looking for a way out of his small town upbringing of Cut Bank, Montana, since he graduated high school several years earlier. One day, he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Videoing his girlfriend Cassandra (Palmer), he witnesses the murder of local postman Georgie Wits (Dern), subsequently filming it. Upon alerting Sheriff Vogel (Malkovich) of the murder and showing him the footage, McLaren attempts to use the reward money he is owed for bringing the murder to the attention of the authorities to good use, and escaping the small town with his girlfriend. But luck doesn't exist in Cut Bank, and this perceived good fortune is quickly followed by a flood of bad karma, mostly coming in the way of the local unnerving recluse, Derby Milton (Stuhlbarg).
A cast oF riches
It's cast is superb. It's always a pleasure to see John Malkovich (Dangerous Liaisons) on-screen, and his interactions with Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade) bring out some of the best moments in the script that made the 2009 Black List of best un-produced screenplays in Hollywood. Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man) plays a guy everyone in town thought was dead. Playing this weirdly confused, nervous, sweaty, stuttering, repulsive character plays handsomely within Stuhlbarg’s repertoire. Bruce Dern (Nebraska) is the linchpin from which the twisted narrative revolves around, and possibly gives the strongest performance. Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games) plays the lead, but fails to breakthrough this richly ensemble cast. He's suppose to be the one we empathise with most, but finds it hard to make Cut Bank his own. Maybe it's not all his own undoing. The script at times can lead us down one track then thrust us onto another, compromising its characters in doing so. Hemsworth’s screen girlfriend, played by Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies), is somewhat forgotten for most parts, but when she is needed, she's is on cue as the ditzy Miss. Cut Bank.
Cut Bank features dozens of similar moments that make us nod with recognition to the Coen Brothers Oscar winning, Fargo. It's not surprising to know that Cut Bank is directed by Matt Shakman, the guy who helmed two episodes of the Fargo television series, which in turn, explains the use of two Coen Brother regulars; Thornton and Stuhlbarg. It's a shame that Shakman relied so heavily on the aesthetics and characteristics that made Fargo great. The way it's characters interact in this small deranged world in which they live should be a focal point, because if there is one big criticism of Cut Bank, it's that its environment doesn’t negotiate with the characters in the way it could’ve.
