Charles Oliver wrote and directed this film, which opens July 18th, 2008.Minnie Driver gives a very worthy performance in this story of the death penalty, revenge and redemption. Sadly, the film doesn't add up to it's wonderful aspirations.
Driver plays a working class mother (unfortunately, her American accent goes in and out, which is a bit distracting), who has a rambunctious young son. A loving husband who is a school teacher seems to be fairly loving and caring.
Jeremy Renner plays a down and out dude, with nothing much going for him aside a huge debt owed to some goons. Due to some weird circumstances, he ends up with a gun, and decides to hold up a grocery. No spoilers here, but the two leads cross paths during the hold up, with tragic results. Adam Rodriguez (the dude from CSI: Miami) plays a prison chaplain trying to get the incarcerated Jeremy Renner to accept god before his execution.
Unfortunately, the film is told non-linearly, which I feel takes away the gravity of it's final scenes. In fact, the movie is a huge bore for the first hour. I felt frustrated, because I knew exactly where the movie was going, but I kept being told more and more unnecessary back story, and I'm beginning to believe what David Mamet says ("Back story is total bullshit").
There is some interesting work by Minnie Driver and Renner, especially during the holdup scene, but the rest of the movie is no where near as engaging. The character's just don't seem to add up, whether it be inconsistent actions, or just inconsistent acting.
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