Small Town Murder Songs (2011)

Peter Stormare. The first time I saw him^ was in another (homespun) murder-story: 'Fargo'. There, he fit the bill perfectly, but here... I don't know, really. He has plenty of charisma for me to stay interested, but his performance never got under my skin, nor did the whole 'story'.The big texts on the screen weren't helping either, they didn't add anything to what was plainly there already. The music - fierce gospels with rhythmic percussion - is in itself beautiful, but maybe used a little too much.'Small town...' is a somewhat contemplative film on violence, change and forgiveness and their place in society and man, but it never becomes a truly gripping tale.5 out of 10.^ I checked out his career, and it seems I must have seen him earlier in 'Awakenings', but I can't recall his part.

This is the absolute worst movie I've ever seen. I kept watching it thinking that it's gotta get better. I held that thought right up to the credits. Don't know where they got the guy who played the police chief, but almost anyone could play his part since his part was mostly sitting quietly and sulking. I'll bet that he didn't say more than 20 words through the whole movie. I don't know why writers think that the brooding, silent type is what people want to see, but as for me, a character like makes me want to slap him and say, "Say something". I've seen some real stinker movies before, but this one takes first place. Just an awful movie!.

I was gliding through the selection of Indie films on Netflix, looking for something interesting to kill an hour or two, when I came across this film. The title intrigued me, as did the description, so I added it to my streaming queue. When the film began, I immediately liked the feel of it, set as it is in Canadian farm country, with big vistas and a stark, rural atmosphere. The music was totally unique, and fit the story perfectly. The only problem I had was that it was too loud at times, and probably a bit intrusive as well. I liked the "chapter titles," and thought they added to the film's feel. The character of Walter, the Chief of Police, was well drawn, although I would have liked a bit more detail to explain his past. Nonetheless, I was able to glean enough insight into his psyche to allow me to still enjoy the sterling performance of Peter Stormare (Fargo, Big Lebowski). This was probably the finest performance I have seen him give, and he deserves a good deal of recognition for it. Jill Hennessy turned in a compelling performance as a woman caught in the middle, and every minute she was on screen was memorable. The direction was spot-on, and I imagine we'll be seeing quite a bit more from Ed Gass-Donnelly in the future. If you like films that are more than just special effects and oddball cinematic techniques, you'll enjoy Small Town Murder Songs. Is it a murder mystery? Not really; there isn't much doubt about whodunit. This is a film about redemption, which is a subject not often handled as well as it is here. Highly recommended.

How nice to see an adult film made by adults for adults. The music was great and very well done. It is not Fargo but is not trying to be. The feeling of place was outstanding. See this and you have been to a small town in Canada.Peter Stormare carried the day. He found the character and walked into this world as if he belonged. He was that cop. The rest of the cast was also very good.The story is good but not simple. I didn't know how it was going to end. Does he find redemption? Is he the same man? I liked the film, you should watch this film.