Review of Deadfall (2012) by Naiya J — 18 Apr 2013

Amidst shallow characters, a virgin-like sex scene (where two desperate people fall in love after one very short-lived encounter) and a choppy story line that plays like a dot-to-dot painting, Charlie Hunnam and Eric Bana still (somehow) manage to shine in their roles.

Olivia Wilde does okay; I could have done without the wide-eyed stares into Hunnam's face during close-ups (no doubt to further exploit her already obviously gorgeous eyes); it makes her look too amateurish, and I've seen her do better.

The ridiculously overdone blame placed on the young woman sheriff (whose acting was pretty inept, and who was wearing a motorcycle helmet about four sizes too big, along with the uniform trousers) for everything that goes wrong when pursuing the suspect was way over the top, seemingly just to prove a point.

Her partners (the other officers) were completely irresponsible and shirked protocol at every turn, getting themselves killed and maimed; yet, she is still blamed for everything (by her heavy-handed father, "The" Sheriff, who also neglects protocol and breaks every federal sexual discrimination law in the book).

It's a wonder these cops can get anything done at all. Just a bunch of giant, blatant dots in a paint-by-numbers script. No one thought to grab the dead guy's clothes to stay warm in the snow.

.. wtf. Why didn't Liza ever think to her brother that he had become that same devilish father (whom Addison (Bana) had killed when they were children to save them both from the father in earlier years? (Duh factor.

) Sissy Spacek was superb. Kris Kristofferson was okay... The scene with the Indian was kind of cool. Eric Bana's in-air leap was heroic and terrifying. It's hard to sneak up on a regional Native American in the forest.

I like that the Indian man had a premonition of Addison coming to kill him. That was one very cool thing that was alluded and not heavy-hand-delivered for the benefit of the audience. In short: Sorry, but I do not recommend this movie.

I give it one star (which goes only to the actors). If not for them, it would get a 0. (Sorry.).