The Outlaw Review: Southern-Fried Dialogue and Quirky Characters Elevate Firearm-Wielding Dark Humor Film
You could be excused for having extremely modest expectations for this thriller movie given the promotional image’s generically moody visuals depicting star Seann William Scott holding a firearm with an power tower in the background. What a pleasant revelation to find out this is actually a humorous film, and even more, one that’s frequently funny in a masculine, improvised sort of way.
The Concept
The conceit is that in the tiny 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, played by Johnny Simmons, and his deputy DJ, brought to life by Chance Perdomo, make a half-hearted stab at solving the case, but are soon upstaged when state investigator Bobby Gaines, played by Seann William Scott, suddenly arrives, representing a regional law enforcement unit and assumes control of the case.
Unique Techniques
Gaines’ methods may be a little on the violent side and not strictly according to protocol, but he gets confessions surprisingly fast and soon works his way up the certainly short criminal hierarchy until he finds the primary antagonist. There are a few surprises, but the crime plot is of much less importance than the rustic backchat: a steady patter of men mocking each other, maligning one another’s masculinity, and generally labeling each other as local underachievers.
Based on Reality?
Opening titles at the beginning says that this narrative set in 2008 was based on real-life occurrences, but that may be as credible 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, portrayed by Jett Wilder, who wandered about during confrontations strumming the banjo, and that Sam had a sweet spot for Izzy, played by Lovi Poe, the town official’s daughter, and her stunning collection of textured sweaters.
Filmmaking Style
But the unusual details around the edges give the film flavor, irrespective of whether they’re rooted in truth, and director Michael Diliberti and his editor have a talent for snipping in just the right place to drive home a joke. The final act of the script are more than a little foreseeable, but this isn’t at all bad for a first-time filmmaker.
The Outlaw is available on digital platforms from 22 September.
