Movie felt dragged out. With nothing ever happening... Not one of his best movies... IMO

>"You alright?" "I wanna get BLOWN!" "Oh that's right, you don't like dogs, do you?" "That's not true, I love dogs! Just not that dog! That dog is a asshole!" The holy trinity of socially acceptable drugs: booze, cigarettes and sex. I really like this Cage guy. Maybe I should check out more DGG too.

This film was indeed slow and dragged out. But it was unlike any other Cage film; this was a quality character study. The lack of action was indeed the point: these people are the downtrodden–people of the land, not the city (see the novel _Demon Copperhead_ for this most important economic explanation of America). Joe, Gary & his family, and most of the townspeople are without hope, so they move through life listlessly. Although we see clear opportunities to change things, although not likely legal ones, these people are so used to the status quo that they don't have the energy to take action. Thus this film has the feel of their lives: slow, listless, victimized and victimized again.

> "I don't know who I am but I know what keeps me alive, keeps me out of jail, keeps me from hurting people. I do as I'm told. What's the point in any of it? It's all just going to boil up and wash us away." This is a slow burn but I remember this being part of Cage's first comeback. He knows how to get crazy but tone it back and let the broody attitude and silence do the work as well.

(565-word review) This film is an odd one for me. I don't know how to feel about it. When the ending credits began, I noticed that the third one said, "Based on the novel by Larry Brown." I don't even remember now, but I'm 90% sure that thought came to me before diving in, whether this film's an adaptation of a novel. And when I read that, it made sense. Something about this film gave off that vibe: the pacing, the structure, the atmosphere. Now, I don't think I'm saying that in a negative way. At the same time, that crucial detail could've been responsible in some way or form for my uncertainty regarding this film. This story seemed better made to read; it's no surprise it was a novel first. And even then, it wouldn't be "up-to-par" because that world, I'd imagine, is vaster than television and films: if this adaptation is anything close to the source material, the novel, while not at the bottom of the barrel, would still be at least at the middle. I wasn't necessarily bored; however, it was as if I was waiting for something, waiting for something more: even feeling that something more would happen, while its entirety seemed to go forward but in circles, aimless, and then it was over. The overall vibe/atmosphere, the direction by David Gordon Green, and the score contributed to this. Afterward, I realized something obvious. There WAS a story and all that other basic stuff where otherwise, there wouldn't be a film: development, progression, resolution, you know? Except I was waiting throughout its entirety. I wasn't seeing much substance. Even in hindsight, I'm not seeing much of it or feeling a sense of "accomplishment" or time well spent. I hope I'm making some sense. That said, the story, particularly everything between Joe and Gary, was well-done, maybe even impactful to a certain extent, with some semblance of value and a story worth telling. Tim Orr's cinematography was pretty good and beautiful, very vibrant. Jeff McIlwain and David Wingo's score was also good: immersive, maybe a little too much; it painted a different picture prematurely than the one given to us with this film, as did its unusual, borderline foreign world and overly ambitious atmosphere. Furthermore, the performances by Nicolas Cage, Tye Sheridan, and Gary Poulter were great. All of them were around the same level; I can't say one was the clear standout. Ronnie Gene Blevins' performance was also fairly decent. This role of Nic's was his most level-headed one yet of the two, now three, films of his I've seen, which was disappointing in a way; however, he still delivered: and I got that laugh he made over the phone call about 8 minutes in, reminiscent of that Nicolas Cage, all-in/committed intensity, including a few outbursts, so I was well-fed. Invoking a similar general feeling as _The Art of Self-Defense_, a film I loved, although not as strong: this film had a good enough story, with better performances by the three forefront actors and a pretty decent score as the cherry on top, yet for me, the overall product didn't have as much success with its delivery as these things would suggest, contrary to the success of that suggestion for a good number of people, from the looks of it. Still, this is a film worth watching, and I'd recommend it.