The World Made Straight (2015)

Or is it? Well that depends on your idea of OK and also your liking to down and dirty B-movies with a touch of drama attached to them. Acting wise this is OK, story wise too, though it does tend to be predictable (and I'm not talking about the actors themselves and the way we look at them, but the characters and where they'll land eventually, no pun intended of course).If of course you like a particular actor in this you will have a leaning for a positive review. All in all this drags quite a bit though and it might influence your viewing pleasure. It might mask itself as a thriller but it does knock more on the drama door than anything else. It's a shame though, that while it is gritty it sometimes seems to hold back its punches ...

This is a lovely little film. Wyle plays a fascinating, and multi layered character, that is well written. And he played it very well. The entire film was very well written. I suspect some of the poor reviews were due to the fact that this film was written for adults! It had historical value, as well as interesting characters, that were well developed. The cinematography was excellent, and the editing was also very good. A tight production, that was well directed. The film had a real sense of time and place. The characters seemed genuine, and real. The historical context of the story was well played out. In the current climate of Hollywood, which is essentially suffering from creative bankruptcy, a film like this is a breath of fresh air. More please.

There seemed to be several anachronisms in this move. Having, back in those days, lived somewhat out in the country, I had to ask myself did the locals really sport 2010s facial hair? "Hair" in the 70s was still largely an urban phenomenon. To my recollection the "red necks" still wore short hair and were beardless. And I find it hard to believe that the permeation of the drug culture--as bad as it was--was half so established then as it is now. People were a lot more cautious about their illicit habits in those days because you could really get into trouble for showing signs of drug intoxication or possession of small quantities of drugs. Yet the knuckleheads portrayed in this movie seem unaware of this. Again, throughout this move I got the feeling that I was looking at contemporary people dressed up and placed in a setting 40 years earlier. Well, it was 40 years ago and the historical awareness of Hollywood types has never been that great.

If you're looking for a feel-good type movie this isn't it. However, if you can get into a very gritty, at times grim film, that has excellent acting and believable characters then this indie might be worth a watch. Set in the 1970's North Carolina Appalachia country (the cinematography is superb), Noah Wylie stars as Leonard, once an Illinois school teacher, but now a small time drug dealer and Civil War buff, living in a trailer with the sexy Dena. Minka Kelly very ably portrays Dena, a drug addict with zero self esteem, who appears to be living comfortably with Leonard, but when the drugs run out, will sell herself and her body to whomever can supply the next fix.Jeremy Irvine also gives a strong performance, as Travis, a lost soul seemingly going nowhere with his life, who will end up staying with Leonard and Dena, after his abusive SOB father (Alex Van) doesn't want him to return to their home. Despite being a school dropout, Travis is a voracious reader, and becomes quite interested in Leonard's Civil War books, and they will begin to bond with their common interest.One central theme of the movie will be the so-called Shelton Laurel Massacre, in 1863, where Travis learns that several of his kin were accused of Unionism during the Civil War, and killed by a firing squad made up of a local Confederate regiment. They'll be some key surprises revealed as the film progresses, regarding both Leonard and Travis's relatives and the massacre over 100 years before.Much of the tension and drama will revolve around Leonard's low-life drug dealing neighbors, the brothers Carlton and Hubert. I thought Steve Earle was exceptional in the role of the older brother Carlton, and Marcus Hester also does well as Hubert. Also, Adelaide Clemens (who reminded me so much in appearance and mannerisms like Michelle Williams) adds well to the mix as Lori, a nurse and possible love interest for Travis. The involvement of these characters together will eventually provide a most combustible situation and lead to quite the tragic and gloomy finale, but offering a ray of hope for some of them.David Burris does a most credible job here with directing, from a solid screenplay from Shane Danielsen, based on the novel by Ron Rash.All in all, this gritty indie will probably only appeal to a certain audience, but I found it engaging throughout with it's believable characters. To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with the rather ambiguous ending, but I felt the overall strength of the story was enough to outweigh that aspect.