SMALL TOWN CRIME — PROOF YOU DON’T NEED A BIG BUDGET TO MAKE A GREAT FILM
Small Town Crime is an independent neo-noir crime thriller featuring an outstanding performance by John Hawkes as Mike Kendall.
The story opens with Mike applying for jobs and deliberately sabotaging his interviews so he can remain on unemployment. Mike is a former cop whose serious drinking problem cost him his job on the force. One morning, Mike wakes up in a field several yards from his car, the aftermath of another night of heavy drinking. He gets behind the wheel and heads back into town. On the way, he discovers an unconscious young woman lying on the side of the road, barely alive. Mike rushes her to the emergency room. The police arrive and immediately become suspicious of Mike. After all, he’s the town drunk, a disgraced former cop—and somehow he’s the one who found the victim.
The next day, Mike checks on the victim only to learn that she has died. Mike takes it upon himself to solve the murder. Reinventing himself as private investigator Jack Winter, Mike begins looking into the case. What he discovers is something far more sinister than the killing of a young prostitute—it leads him into a much darker criminal world.
This is where Small Town Crime earns its neo-noir label. Mike is a disgraced former cop drowning himself in alcohol who assumes the role of a private investigator and wanders into a seedy world of murder, prostitution, violence and morally compromised characters. The setting may be contemporary, but the film draws heavily from the classic noir tradition of damaged men searching for answers in a world where almost everyone seems to have something to hide.
As a writer, I appreciate a great character study. While a good story may draw you in, it is often the characters who keep you watching. The Silence of the Lambs would not be nearly as riveting without Anthony Hopkins’ unforgettable portrayal of Hannibal Lecter. The Dark Knight would be a far more conventional crime story without Heath Ledger’s mesmerizing performance as the Joker. In much the same way, John Hawkes makes Mike Kendall fascinating to watch.
Despite spending much of the movie drunk, Mike keeps getting closer to solving the case. At the same time, he continues to screw up his own life and disappoint the people who care about him. Yet beneath the alcohol and self-destruction is Mike’s genuine desire to do the right thing. Solving the murder becomes his chance at redemption—and ultimately his opportunity to reinvent himself as a private detective.
TF’s Notes — Although Small Town Crime was a modest independent neo-noir that received only a limited theatrical release, it boasts a spectacular cast: John Hawkes, Octavia Spencer, Robert Forster, Anthony Anderson, Clifton Collins Jr., Michael Vartan, Caity Lotz and Dale Dickey. More importantly, the script is well written and has the feel of a classic noir. Remarkably, the entire film was shot in Utah in just 35 days.
Small Town Crime is definitely worth watching, particularly for fans of neo-noir and character-driven crime films. It is also proof that a movie doesn’t need a massive budget or expensive special effects to be great. Great acting, fascinating characters and a riveting script can be enough.