Devil's Peak

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Jacob McNeely (Hopper Penn) works for his meth-King father Charlie (Billy Bob Thornton) who rules his section of the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina. Jacob is barely being paid while his father hordes all the cash in his safe. His mother Virgie (Robin Wright) returns after getting clean. Rogers (Jackie Earle Haley) is the corrupt sheriff. Jacob is obsessed with Maggie (Katelyn Nacon) and needs money to help her family. The premise is basic and feels derivative. I don't mind it, but I do question Ben Young's directions. It feels stale. A lot of this rests on the shoulders of relative unknown Hopper Penn, son of Sean Penn and Robin Wright. Of course, he's trying to act. I'm not sure that he's leading man material especially after this movie. I don't know if it's deliberate, but he's giving an almost blank performance. In a way, it fits his character. Jacob is a weak loser. That's the only reason why he would suffer under his father for so long. I don't know if Hopper is ever going to be more than a minor actor. Maybe he can do more with a different role.

Don't trust the low rating. Billy Bob gives another captivating performance and the rest of the cast holds up as well. Hopper Penn especially did a nice job. This is not a blockbuster though. It's a small cast in a small town setting but it still works. It's probably a 7 rating but I gave it an 8 to offset the negative ratings trying to take it down. I watched this on a Saturday afternoon and just took my time with it. It does move slow but just stick with it and enjoy the performances. The scenes are well done and the actors really mesh. Hopefully, more Billy Bob fans will give it a watch and back up this review. It's a good film.

I love Billy Bob Thornton movies, but why he took on this script is a puzzle? Maybe as a favour to Sean Penn, whose son, Hopper Penn plays his son in this. He has his daddies name and somewhat of his hangdog looks, but acting talent and screen presence ? Nooo, at least, not yet. But then again, with the tired dialogue that the cast has been given, there are no outstanding performances here. Entirely populated with cut out characters , the psycho drug boss, incompetent minions, downtrodden wife, trailer trash mistress, corrupt police. And Its difficult to even tolerate, never mind to like, the young lovebirds, who we are supposed to be rooting for. Hence after 50 odd minutes of watching, I decided, I don't care what happens in the final half, and care less about who it happens to. No plot spoilers, because, frankly, its a cookie cutter plot too. Its been done a hundred times before, probably 90 odd of them better. And a mention of the video/audio quality. The video is overblown, daylight glare gives faces a cookie dough complexion, its impossible to get decent contrast, night scenes are bearable. This is also apparent in the the trailer as well, so its not a case of a bad copy. The dialogue audio is likewise overblown. In every scene, inside, outside, in a car.. they all sound the same, the rendition of the USA national anthem is..ermm..striking! This is magnified by the almost complete lack of ambient or atmospheric sounds, night scenes with barely a chirping cricket or rustling tree, street scenes with no traffic noise, restaurant scene with hardly a mumble from the other dozen or so patrons. It all sounds very claustrophobic. Now that I have had a break, and some might say, a bit of a rant? I will attempt the next 50 minutes. If it improves, I will return and edit, but I doubt it.

The first 30 minutes I wasn't sold at all on this. Seemed like cliche, overdone premise with the same stuff I've seen a hundred times (which it kind of is). That being said, if you can get past that the rest is a pretty darn good indie film. As the plot goes along the tension ramps up and you get a nice set up for the finale. I was definitely engaged and wanted to see Billy Bob's son escape the clutches of this meth littered backwoods town. The acting really carries the script thru til the end, with Billy Bob and Hopper Penn leading the charge. It's definitely not perfect, it's low budget production quality and if you can get past those things it's an entertaining little movie. 6.4/10.

The juice is definitely worth the squeeze on this one! Anyone who doesn't get it just doesn't get it. It may have started out a little slow at first, but it really did build to the necessary crescendo. It was quite the thriller in the final analysis. It does cover a lot of material related to society in modern times with regards to economics and drug addiction! And the power of true love as well! Anyone who likes thrillers in Billy Bob Thornton and true life drama will appreciate this movie. I thought it was very well done and in the final analysis I was glad I watched it it was emotionally cathartic!

Billy Bob Thorton, Robin Wright, and Jacob Penn bring some acting chops to this suspenseful story of a son trying to escape his fate and choose a different path. It had me on the edge of my sit. The film gives a sense of the decimation that small town America has experienced from economic hopelessness and drug addiction. Thorton gives a hard as nails performance, Wright shows us a vulnerable and nuanced, albeit drug addled mother, and Penn conveys the pain and conflict he is faced with. This is a film that provides great performances, plot twists and suspense, a sense of place with cinematography and a script that reflects a sense of place.

The slowish, meditative first half of this film reflects the sweaty langour and apparent hopelessness of Jacob's (Hopper Penn) situation as son of a king-pin and savage drug dealer in a small Appalachian town. Will he be able to escape the trench that his father Billy-Bob Thornton) has dug for him and break free? That question and more is answered by the unexpected adrenaline fueled climax of the last act, and a particularly unexpected twist. Filmed on location, the cinematography is evocative and atmospheric. The missed opportunity to use more Appalachian music means a dropped star as far as this viewer is concerned. I expect budget restraint had a lot to do with this. Credit to the cast with special mention to Billy Bob Thornton who can always be counted upon for perfect evil, and to Hopper Penn for his subtle portrait of a sensitive character who has grown up with nothing but a continuous cycle of hurt and betrayal. His performance stays with you. Highly recommended.