Movie: Bad Country
Director: Chris Brinker
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon, Neal McDonough, Amy Smart
Rating: **
In “Bad Country”, Willem Dafoe, who plays, detective Bud Carter, describes Louisiana as a hell with lid off. The only difference between cops and criminals here is that the former have rules and the latter don’t. And when you try to cross the line that divides them, death is one way or the other guaranteed. If not fitting, the film, which is based on true events, is an upright tribute to the 80s crime era, supported by decent performances by the lead cast.
Following the arrest of two men involved in a diamond racquet and possession of arms, detective Bud Carter, has reasons to believe that he is dealing with a big cartel. Further investigations lead to the arrest of Jesse Wieland, a contract killer, associated with a criminal syndicate responsible for numerous crimes in the state. Facing life imprisonment, Jesse is forced to become an informant, resting his trust on Bud for the protection of his wife and newborn son. The case attracts the attention of the feds, who try to take charge, superseding Bud’s effort to lead. But when a sting operation doesn’t pan out the way it was supposed to, all hell breaks loose. This alerts Lutin Adams, the syndicate boss, who uses his power in the government to identify the rat as Wieland. This forces Bud and Jesse team up and go head on against Lutin.
A gritty tale, “Bad Country” hardly gives us the flavor of Louisiana where is the story is set in. It’s 1983, but we hardly see any visual reference to that era, except for the fact that most of the characters flaunt long mustaches and walk around in hats and pinstripe suits. In fact, most of the story is set indoors that if you weren’t told in the beginning of the film that the year is 1983, I’m positive, you wouldn’t even have a clue about the time period. Therefore, as long as you’re watching the film you have to admit that it’s set in the 80s even when there aren’t’t any solid references. This I think is the biggest flaw you could possibly point out in the entire film.
There isn’t enough suspense to keep you hooked. Even the action sequences don’t excite you as much as any crime sagas would. Since the story becomes quite predictable after a point, the film fails to evoke interest in the viewer to continue watching. Besides Dafoe and Matt, there isn’t a single actor worth cheering for or even worth taking a minute to talk about. But, because of poor character development and overall production it falls far short of anything but average.
One interesting aspect of the film is the scene where a federal agent with one year of experience negotiates with the highly experienced Bud Carter in handing over the case to FBI. “Bad Country” elucidates with example what happens when two law enforcement agencies fight over ownership of a case even when they share a common purpose. Instead of working as team to achieve the common goal, they work on their own terms to put lives at stake.
With a story that has been told over a million times, “Bad Country” is a wasted effort. It fails to be a befitting send-off to director Chris Brinker, who unfortunately died last year. This was his directorial debut, but he’s popular for producing films such as “The Boondock Saints” and its sequel.