Review of Promised Land (2012) by Orlando O — 26 May 2013

A character driven drama film focuses a decent development more than story driven does feel like a propaganda on corporations trying to obtain resources from farmlands. Steve Butler (Matt Damon) is a corporate salesman sent with his partner, Sue (Frances McDormand) sent to a small rural town to try to convince some land owners to let them extract some natural gas that is underground.

Dustin Noble (John Krasinski) is a environmentalist that is making the townspeople oppose to the idea that Butler is offering to them. Gus Van Sant has been a hit or miss with most of his movies, while his latest film is powerful with a character driven from the very beginning scene to the end.

Especially with Matt Damons character, working for a company that is trying to manipulate the townspeople into giving up their lands for their greed. Matt Damon, John Krasinski, and Frances McDormand were all okay; Damon plays a honest person, Krasinski being a environmentalist, and at times manipulative, McDormand was strictly doing her job, and trying to convince others to get what she needs.

Although, the story does tend to be more of propaganda in exploiting greedy corporations trying to do whatever it takes to make most townspeople accept their offer in order for them to ruin their community.

The characters relationships between Steve and Alice (Rosemarie DeWitt) felt rushed, unbelievable. and forced to the story. The character development really became predictable to how the story was going to turn out before the third act ends without giving much away.

Overall, Promised Land is a bad film that is focused on a character driven story instead of the plot itself as it tries too hard to be sentimental.