Review of Promised Land (2012) by Blake P — 10 Mar 2014

"Promised Land" caught my attention a few months ago when I watched David Letterman interview Matt Damon late one night. Damon, who has quite a passion for charitable work and environmental aid, has lately been making at least a portion of his interviews focused around his efforts, all of which are admirable and selfless.

His last time on Letterman was to promote "Promised Land", a film in which he co-wrote with "The Office" star John Krasinski. As I watched, I was intrigued by the concept of the project - the film revolves around around fracking, the process of fracturing rock in order to retrieve natural gases found deep under the Earth. It's an effective but also very dangerous practice that has made its way into the U.S. by arriving in small towns in which money doesn't flow too well.

"Promised Land" introduces us to a situation that most likely happens everyday: we're introduced to Steve Butler (Damon) and Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand), two corporate salespeople who are sent to a rural community in order to persuade the population to allow drilling into their land for natural gas. This would lead to money outpouring into the middle-class community, all of whom have been hit by the hardships of the economy.

It, at first, appears as though it will be an easy job - the citizens are desperate for anything that will better their lives, and Steve and Sue are charismatic enough to make them enthusiastic towards much needed change. But when an environmentalist (Krasinski) comes to town and warns its patrons about the horrors fracking can bring, it sends the plans into a spiral. It however, hits hard to Steve, who beforehand was not aware of the side effects of the drilling.

It's interesting just how well the film manages to be eye-opening, but not overwhelmingly preachy. Paired with Gus Van Sant's thoughtfully subtle direction, Damon and Krasinski's screenplay is given the chance to truly stand out. While it does manage to flesh out believably relatable characters, it also does a fantastic job showing the evidence that the small-town, "country" side of America is slowly being overshadowed by big business corporations. "Promised Land" may be earnest, but its normalcy is the key to giving the viewer a clearer outlook.

It may have not been one of the biggest hits of 2013, but "Promised Land" is an honest and interesting character-driven drama that achieves what it's trying to accomplish quite well. Damon and Krasinksi prove that, while they may be actors to reckon with, they aren't too shabby with a pen either.