Movie Review: Hollow In The Land (2017)

Genre: Crime Drama

Director: Scooter Corkle

Starring: Dianna Agron, Rachelle Lefevre, Shawn Ashmore

Running Time: 92 minutes

Synopsis: In rural Castlegar, British Columbia, Alison Miller (Dianna Argon) tries to keep her 17-year-old brother Brandon out of trouble. Their father is in prison for killing a teenager during a botched robbery, and now the Millers are labelled troublemakers. The police Chief (Michael Rogers) is particularly harsh, but his deputy Darryl (Shawn Ashmore) is more sympathetic. When the ex-husband of Alison's best friend Charlene (Rachelle Lefevre) is killed in an altercation, Brandon is identified as the prime suspect. He flees into the surrounding woods, prompting Alison to start investigating the town's secrets.

What Works Well: Writer and director Scooter Corkle excels in capturing a rough and tumble single industry rural small town milieu where everyone knows everyone yet every door hides a secret. Youth like Brandon have few alternatives to keep them out of trouble, and inevitably grow into incapable adults. Intertwining mysteries are revealed in measured doses, and Dianna Argon carries the acting load with a searching performance combining family guilt with growing resilience.

What Does Not Work As Well: The final third defaults to routine and far-fetched gunplay, and the mounting crime count erodes the preceding more carefully grounded dramatic foundation.

Conclusion: Hardened small town grit is ultimately loosened by wayward plotting.



All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.