Review of Clay Pigeons (1998) by Tim S — 30 Mar 2012

Ah, so I am in a bit of a Janeane Garofalo kick..which led me to discover this movie. Janeane's part is minimal and underdeveloped however, the rest of the characters and cast are engrossing and sometimes even charming.

Actually, the backdrop for this movie kinda reminds me of David Lynch's Twin Peaks: a small town (in Montana) with lush mountainous settings, a series of deaths being investigated by a "bumpkin" type sheriff and his incompetent deputy "Barney". Janeane comes in as the city slicker detective who solves the crime.

The main plot, however, is set around Clay (a stricking, young Joaquin Phoenix) who plays a very cool and headstrong character, with some mixed in moments of complete (but quiet) agony, as he gets mixed up in covering up a bunch of deaths he did not commit. The serial killer, played by Vince Vaughn, is this charming, slightly quirky yet fully insane cowboy who somehow becomes convinced that Clay will be his tag-team serial killing buddy.

Although the ending falls apart a little for me (very few twists in this one) I think this is a really good flick and I recommend it.