Well, that didn’t take long. Only a few weeks into 2019 and we already have our first great movie. Shot in Dallas, mostly in one location, THE STANDOFF AT SPARROW CREEK is a tense thriller that maximizes its low budget, delivering a compelling, complex film.
James Badge Dale plays Gannon, a damaged ex-cop and militia
member. When he hears a report of shots fired at a police funeral, he and his
fellow militia men assemble at their compound, as they try to figure out if
they or any of their brothers in arms are suspects. When they discover some of
their arsenal missing – including hardware used in the shooting – they begin to
turn on each other. With the authorities closing in, they have to figure who
could commit such a heinous crime, and why he would want to bring down the rest
of the crew with him.
To say much more would give away the film’s many twists,
some of them gut-wrenching. The film definitely owes a debt to paranoia
thrillers like THE CONVERSATION and BLOW OUT, and its interrogation scenes
reminded me a lot of THE USUAL SUSPECTS. And for a film about violent men and a
horrific crime, the movie is extremely careful about when it uses violence.
James Badge Dale stars in ‘THE STANDOFF AT SPARROW CREEK.’ Courtesy photo.
The cast is filled with “that guys,” character actors who have popped in everything from MULHOLLAND DRIVE (Patrick Fischler) to NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Gene Jones) and FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (Chris Mulkey) to BOARDWALK EMPIRE (Brian Geraghty). They all play their roles perfectly, adding dimension to characters who may not say much, but all have intense reactions when backed into a corner.
Denham directs with a lot of skill, using sparse lighting,
but still letting us see exactly what we need to, and obscuring what we don’t. With
several long takes, he lets his actors show off their chops, as they tell vivid
stories that don’t need flashbacks to feel real (even if they’re not). But the
secret weapon is Josh Ethier’s editing. He’s worked almost exclusively on
horror flicks, and his masterful cutting ratchets up the tension, and makes the
devastating reveals hit that much harder.
THE STANDOFF AT SPARROW CREEK is a hidden gem, lurking in
some theaters and on VOD. Search for it. You’ll be shaken, but glad for the
experience.
Grade: A-
THE STANDOFF AT SPARROW CREEK is now playing in limited release and is also available on Video-On-Demand and Digital HD.
I have been working as a film journalist since 2010, dividing the first four years between radio broadcasting and entertainment writing in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. In 2014, I entered Fresh Fiction (FreshFiction.tv) as the features editor. The following year, I stepped into the film critic position at the Denton Record-Chronicle, a daily North Texas print publication. My time is dedicated to writing theatrical film reviews, at-home entertainment columns, and conducting interviews with on-screen talent and filmmakers, as well as hosting a podcast devoted to genre filmmaking (called My Bloody Podcast). I've been married for seven happy years, and I have one son who is all about dinosaurs just like his dad.
