Bad Man Film Analysis: Down-Home Script and Quirky Locals Elevate Firearm-Wielding Dark Humor Film
One might be excused for forming extremely modest anticipations for this thriller movie given its poster’s generically moody visuals depicting star Seann William Scott holding a firearm with an power tower in the distance. What a nice surprise to find out this is actually a comedy, better yet, one that’s frequently humorous in a masculine, improv sort of way.
The Concept
The setup is that in the small Tennessee town of Colt Lake, a man is murdered in the street, struck by a car so many times that he resembles ground meat. Clueless but kindly local cop Sam Evans, portrayed by Johnny Simmons, and his deputy DJ, enacted by Chance Perdomo, make a feeble attempt at investigating, but are soon overshadowed when special agent Bobby Gaines, played by Seann William Scott, suddenly arrives, working for a statewide taskforce and assumes control of the case.
Unique Techniques
Gaines’ methods may be a little on the violent side and not exactly according to protocol, but he obtains admissions amazingly quickly and soon works his way up the admittedly short crime food chain until he locates the primary antagonist. There are a few twists, but the crime plot is of far lesser importance than the rustic banter: a constant stream of men mocking each other, maligning one another’s manhood, and generally labeling each other as small town failures.
Fact or Fiction?
Opening titles at the beginning says that this 2008 story was inspired by real-life occurrences, but that may hold as much water as the assertion at the start of the original Fargo film. And it’s possible—maybe one of the villains really did have a girlfriend named Destiny, played by Jett Wilder, who strolled around during showdowns strumming the banjo, and that Sam had a soft spot for Izzy, played by Lovi Poe, the major’s daughter, and her stunning collection of brioche-knit sweaters.
Directorial Flair
But the weird details around the edges give the film flavor, irrespective of whether they’re rooted in truth, and director Michael Diliberti and his film cutter have a knack for trimming in just the right place to drive home a joke. The final act of the screenplay are more than a little predictable, but this isn’t at all disappointing for a directorial debut.
Bad Man is on digital platforms from 22 September.
