DVD Review: Well-Acted ‘Texas Killing Fields’ Favors Characters Over Clichés

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CHICAGO – Is there anything Chloë Grace Moretz can’t do? She’s earned big laughs as a snarky yet concerned sister in “(500) Days of Summer,” performed her own stunts as a vengeful hit girl in “Kick Ass,” brought startling pathos to the role of a smitten vampire in “Let Me In” and exuded Hepburn-esque grace in “Hugo,” all before the age of 15. Needless to say, her versatility is unmatched by any of her peers.

Moretz was 12 when she took the role of Anne, the alienated would-be victim in “Texas Killing Fields,” a routine yet engaging crime drama from Ami Canaan Mann, daughter of Michael. The role is closer in spirit to the vulnerable innocents Moretz played in a slate of horror films during the early years of her career. Anne is as much a symbol as she is a flesh-and-blood being, and the actress brings a chilling tension to her scenes, the vast majority of which require very few words. Her face is utterly magnetic and is armed with a stare that pierces through the screen.

HollywoodChicago.com DVD Rating: 3.0/5.0
DVD Rating: 3.0/5.0

Her work is one of the primary reasons why “Killing Fields” is worth a look. It’s not as grisly a film as the title might suggest, and the screenplay by Donald F. Ferrarone is more concerned with the chemistry between its two leads than it is with any deranged criminals. Homicide detectives Souder (Sam Worthington) and Heigh (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) stumble upon the trail of a serial killer intent on dumping bodies in the titular marsh. Though Souder urges his partner to only investigate crimes within the boundaries if their jurisdiction, Heigh’s restless desire for justice causes him to bend the rules.

Chloë Grace Moretz stars in  Ami Canaan Mann’s Texas Killing Fields.
Chloë Grace Moretz stars in Ami Canaan Mann’s Texas Killing Fields.
Photo credit: Anchor Bay Entertainment

As a good man nearing his breaking point, Morgan delivers a touching portrayal that serves as the heart of the film. Though Worthington has succumbed to blandness in his post-“Avatar” roles, he’s very effective in scenes where Souder conveys his inner rage by speaking in soft, measured tones. Once again, the actor is romantically linked to Jessica Chastain (as his fiery ex), who sports an even harder edge than she did in “The Debt.” Chastain is another chameleon-like actress in “Killing Fields” who’s sorely deserving of more screen time. Mann’s attempts to explore her damaged relationship with Souder are too abridged to have much impact. Far more effective is the father/daughter dynamic that starts to build between Heigh and Anne. She regards him as her sole parental figure, and once we meet her family, we can see why.

Despite its disappointingly anticlimactic third act, “Killing Fields” is ultimately redeemed by the pleasingly poetic eye of its director. Mann hadn’t made a feature since her acclaimed 2000 debut effort, “Morning,” and her experience helming television crime dramas is readily apparent. Yet by collaborating with master cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh (“The Piano”), Mann has created some indelible imagery. The marsh itself resembles a haunted graveyard, and there’s a deeply unsettling shot of Anne walking alone down an empty, foreboding road. Anne’s encounters with a sleazy predator are reminiscent of Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” and there’s an abduction scene that appears to have been lifted straight out of “The Vanishing” (though Mann insists it’s based in fact).

Texas Killing Fields was released on Blu-ray and DVD on Jan. 31, 2012.
Texas Killing Fields was released on Blu-ray and DVD on Jan. 31, 2012.
Photo credit: Anchor Bay Entertainment

“Texas Killing Fields” is presented in its 2.40:1 aspect ratio, accompanied by English and Spanish subtitles and includes an insightful, low-key commentary track with Mann and Ferrarone. The director reveals her various influences, some of which are rather surprising. The film’s opening crane shot through a victim’s vacant car was modeled after Mikhail Kalatozov’s “I Am Cuba,” though the cramped confines of the vehicle forced her to break up the sequence with a series of dissolves. She wanted to evoke the brooding creepiness of Nicolas Roeg’s “Don’t Look Now,” while allowing the Killing Fields to appear as if they were reverberating with supernatural life (much like the ghostly terrain in Peter Weir’s “Picnic at Hanging Rock”). Petrified trees found off the coat of Louisiana emerged as an ideal location for the fields themselves. Many of the other scenes were shot in towns near New Orleans, and Mann made a point of finding locations where oil refineries could be spotted in the background. One of the last remaining “houses on stilts” in the area was used for the exteriors of Anne’s home. Mann’s sister, Aran Reo, handled the atmospheric production design, while her father served as co-producer.
 
Some of the track’s most diverting behind-the-scenes nuggets center on the real-life detectives that inspired the characters of Souder and Heigh. Mann claims that their good cop/bad cop routine is accurately reflected in the script, as well as Heigh’s priestly demeanor that he uses with citizens when attempting to garner information. When Heigh glances at a dead body, Mann utilizes traditional over-the-shoulder shots to make it appear as if a conversation is taking place. It’s clear that the filmmaker was adamant in her refusal to use the murder victims as mere plot points. She has their voices occasionally drift through a scene like the wind, while linking Anne to the deceased women with subtle visual motifs. Mann exudes so much potential in this picture that one hopes there won’t be an eleven-year gap before her next feature.

‘Texas Killing Fields’ was released by Anchor Bay Entertainment and stars Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Annabeth Gish, Sheryl Lee and Stephen Graham. It was written by Donald F. Ferrarone and directed by Ami Canaan Mann. It was released on Jan. 31, 2012. It is rated R.

HollywoodChicago.com staff writer Matt Fagerholm

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
matt@hollywoodchicago.com

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