Review of One False Move (1991) by Newt C — 01 Feb 2010

Serviceable but awfully slow Kentucky-fried noir that, for me, left a lot to be desired. Structurally, all the interesting stuff happens way late. The film spends too much time setting up the villains.

Which isn't even effective because you don't really understand their motivations. Why is Pluto with Ray and Fantasia? Okay, yeah, so he and Ray did time together. So what? Clearly Pluto doesn't like Ray all that much.

The film tells us that Pluto is technically a genius, but does he do anything particularly indicative of his intelligence? No, not really. Ray's uncle lives in the same town as Fantasia's family.

Did Ray meet her in town? Don't know. Did they know each other in school? Don't know. Fantasia doesn't seem stupid, so how did she get mixed up with Ray? Don't know. Was she raised in an abusive household and that's why she accepts Ray's violence against her? Doesn't seem that way.

I get that some things are meant to stay mysterious, but the movie gives you this information and then does nothing with it. Why not spend time developing those threads instead of hanging out with the bad guys and watching them be brutal? It's really well-shot and the dialogue is pretty damn good, and the interpersonal complications that arise in the third act are really compelling, so it's worth the three stars I gave it.

But man, for a movie with such a great reputation I was left awfully dissatisfied.