Small Town Crime Movie Review

Small Town Crime (2017)

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Written by: Eshom Nelms, Ian Nelms
Directed by: Eshom Nelms, Ian Nelms
Starring: John Hawkes, Anthony Anderson, Octavia Spencer, Robert Forster, Clifton Collins Jr.
Rated: R
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Plot
When an alcoholic ex-cop finds the body of a young woman, he becomes obsessed with redeeming himself by finding the killer. In the process, he puts himself and his family in danger while hanging out with an assortment of shady characters.

Verdict
It's a low budget crime movie that keeps the narrative focused. It does just enough to keep the characters interesting while avoiding any story filler as we uncover clues from this case. We follow an ex-cop that wants to solve a case just to regain his old job. The final shootout is well done and I like how this ends, balancing the typical ending with the realities of the situation.
Watch It.

Review
Mike is an ex-cop with a few issues. It's clear in the first few scenes he's an alcoholic. Other than getting back on the police force, he doesn't seem to want a job as he purposely tanks every other interview. I wondered how Mike expects to rejoin the police when he's getting thrown out of bars and driving drunk, but thinking isn't his strong suit. I have to wonder how he is een still alive.

We do discover how he lost his job, but that didn't push him to be an alcoholic. We don't find out what drove him to drink.

John Hawkes plays Mike Kendall

Mike discovers a body and commits to solving the case. Why is he interested? It seems like it's to give himself something to do and to feel like a cop again. He may be trying to use it to get a job. That or he might not like the cops telling him to stay out.

The case keeps expanding as Mike keeps digging deeper. He's competing with the local cops, and at least one of them seems to have some sympathy for him. Mike finally stumbles into what's going on, but it seems crazy. It's quite an escalation based on the exchange, then again the route taken might be cheaper in the long run. When you've committed a crime, why not go all the way?. Mike ends up on the run, but how do you find mercenaries willing to kill in broad daylight with no restraint? That's what Mike is up against.

Of course the mercenaries want to meet Mike and make an exchange. They tell him no funny business so Mike invites the two other people he's met during the movie. What unfolds is a crazy shootout that boosts the rest of the movie. In the narrow genre of low budget crime films, this isn't bad at all. This does just enough with the characters to make them memorable. All of the plot pieces fit together well to make the events that unfold believable. I like how it ends, completing the story and doing that well.