There are all kinds of comparisons one can make with this little gem, but it's particulars make it well worth 93 rather delightful and occasionally suspenseful minutes. Cut Bank, an actual tiny town in Montana, inspires the quiet lunacy that might fester behind closed doors, and although the film is loaded with scene-stealers like Billy Bob Thornton and Bruce Dern, it is a less-known character actor Michael Stuhlbarg, who consistently steals the show essaying a genuinely creepy menace with an unexpected physical prowess and secrets in his basement.
There seems to be a club of Liam Hemsworth haters concerning this film, as he plays a largely inarticulate hero with dreams of instant riches, of a strong desire to leave the strictures of small town heritage, lots of reviewers claiming the man can't act; perhaps his is a perfect performance, setting apart his role as "hero" from the eccentricities as the local sheriff, hilariously and convincingly played by John Malkovich, who channels his nuttiness with a genuine personal integrity. Throw in female lead, Teresa Palmer (who desperately wants to win the annual contest for Miss Cut Bank, and Oliver Platt as an unctuous, insensitive government agent, and if nothing else, a viewer has a chance to see all these actors clearly enjoy their camera time in service of the offbeat, chilly noir, Cut Bank.
There seems to be a club of Liam Hemsworth haters concerning this film, as he plays a largely inarticulate hero with dreams of instant riches, of a strong desire to leave the strictures of small town heritage, lots of reviewers claiming the man can't act; perhaps his is a perfect performance, setting apart his role as "hero" from the eccentricities as the local sheriff, hilariously and convincingly played by John Malkovich, who channels his nuttiness with a genuine personal integrity. Throw in female lead, Teresa Palmer (who desperately wants to win the annual contest for Miss Cut Bank, and Oliver Platt as an unctuous, insensitive government agent, and if nothing else, a viewer has a chance to see all these actors clearly enjoy their camera time in service of the offbeat, chilly noir, Cut Bank.