Review of Promised Land (2012) by Ed T — 03 Nov 2013

I saw Promised Land earlier today. I got hooked especially because Gus Van Sant directed it. I really like his work. Well, most of it. I don't know why he did Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. I saw some of it yesterday but not from the beginning so I was a bit lost. The film is about two representatives trying to acquire drilling rights from a town so they can drill oil. The film tackles morale, the relationships between the people we interact and ethics. It's a subject that Van Sant usually tackles, especially when it comes to relationships. Matt Damon and John Krasinski wrote the screenplay It's their first time writing a screenplay together and it shows in the film. Not primarily the acting, but how the plot unravels. The characters don't do much to unravel the events in the film, to be honest. It makes the film weak, but it doesn't mean the film is bad. The film is quite good. The characters in the film are good people. They're people with good intentions, people who work hard and think about others; they what they have to do so they can get by. They rely one another. It's a small and unified town. The character that stands out is Frank Yates played by Hal Holbrook. I know I've seen this guy somewhere, but in here, he's pretty good. He's outspoken but for the greater good of the people. he's quite educated, which surprised Matt Damon's character, Steven Butler. Steven is one of the representatives of Global Crosspower Solutions that go door-to-door, telling people about drilling and the benefits it can have. He doesn't play tricks, he doesn't possess a different persona, he's him and that's what cool about the guy. He has high morale. He does get frustrated, though. The job does get to him and asks whether what he's doing is right. His co-worker, Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand) is sort of different. She just wants to get the job done. Get in, get out, get paid. She's pretty blunt, doesn't want to consolidate. However, those two are a good match. She can be friendly. She's open enough for that but is mostly reserved. We then have Dustin Noble (Krasinski) who plays an environmentalist trying to make people goes against the idea of drilling in a small town. I wont say much about the plot but it's quite interesting how the events unravel. It's very basic. It does get hard for the characters to get by in the film. They struggle with themselves. I like that a lot in the film. Damon and Krasinski have a good on-screen chemistry. Krasinski is pretty good playing an asshole. What I didn't like the film is Alice. Not to say she sucked or was a bitch or anything like that, I felt like it wasn't necessary to have her as a character to be the "love interest." I don't know, the courtship between her and Steven was pretty distant, it wasn't going anywhere. The first act was pretty good introducing her. I wish she was more into the film during the second act, then maybe the courtship would be more strong. The third act was decent but the ending was a little weak. I mean, the film told me, "where do we go from here?" Films usually-depending how the tells the story-show you what the ending is going to be. In this case, it's a bit pre-mature. But for a first partnership between Damon and Krasinski, it's okay.

The cinematography is really nice in the film. The aerial shots are executed very fluidly. I like how the camera follows the vehicles without strain. We see a lot of the town, what it consists of. The shots in claustrophobic places are pretty nice as well. Van Sant is really good to make sure we get in touch with the character when the shot is focused on him or her. He stays there enough to not notice it but to embrace it. His cinematographer stills goes for the time lapse shots, for us to get accustomed to the location of the film and the relationship we have with the characters of the film. Van Sant delivered well in the film. I enjoyed it and I hope to see more films in the near-future.