Rating of
2.5/4
Poor man’s FARGO
Indyfreak - wrote on 10/14/22
This neo-noir comedy works better as a farce than as a thriller. The budget is hard to ascertain since there’s a good cast lined up, but it only clocks at 89 minutes and the climax feels small. I almost wonder if the movie was originally planned as a longer release than that.
But its sense of humor is pretty funny in a nasty way. I liked the cynical and sleaziness that most of the characters exhibited. The fact that the whole movie is set during Christmas Eve makes everything seem even more sadistic but it’s still funny. I think fans of crime-black comedies like FARGO would like it. But I can see people who see it as too slight and simplistic in terms of plot.
Going back to how it’s better as a comedy, that’s thanks to the cast. John Cusack is a good fit for a sardonic noir protagonist. Connie Nielsen as a sexy femme fatale is perfect casting.
Billy Bob Thornton is appropriately oily as the treacherous partner.,Oliver Platt has a few good bits as the loser friend. Gangster genre mainstay Mike Starr even shows up as a mean mob hitman.
