Bad Turn Worse

Plot synopsis:
After B. J. steals $20,000, he surprises his best friend, Bobby, and girlfriend, Sue, with an impromptu plan to party together one last time before Bobby and Sue leave rural Texas for college. B. J. later confides in Bobby that he stole he money from Giff, a local mobster who employs them. Giff immediately suspects his Mexican security guard, and Bobby and B. J. arrive at work as Giff savagely beats the man. Concerned that Giff will kill the worker, Bobby confesses to stealing the money, though it does not stop Giff from killing the man. As they dispose of the body for Giff, Bobby expresses regret that the man died, and B. J. berates him for getting them involved. When they can't repay him, Giff forces them to agree to rob a cotton mill owned by Big Red, an infamous mob boss who uses it to launder his funds. Over Bobby's objection, B. J. reveals that Sue was also involved in spending Giff's money, and she is forced to participate in the robbery, too.
When B. J. learns that Bobby and Sue are having an affair and plan to go to the police, he tells Giff about both situations. At the police station, the Sheriff obliquely warns Bobby to fulfill his obligations. Bobby and Sue discuss fleeing the town together, but Giff threatens to rape Sue if either one backs out. Unable to think of any escape, Bobby and Sue commit to the robbery. B. J. visits both Bobby and Sue, harassing them and leaving them wondering how much he knows about their affair. On the night of the robbery, Bobby and Sue enter Big Red's business as B. J. takes lookout duty. They find that the safe is empty and the workers have been brutally murdered. Confused, they return to B. J., only to find that he and Giff have decided to frame them for the crime.
B. J. initially does not believe that Giff murdered the workers, and Giff shoots B. J. when he protests. Before he can kill Sue and Bobby, Sue tells him that she has contacted Big Red, who she says is on his way as they speak. Convinced that she is bluffing, Giff attempts to kill the two, who flee further into the cotton mill. After an extended chase, Giff corners the two on rafters. Giff taunts Bobby and says that he is actually doing him a favor, as it will save him the pain and humiliation of being dumped by Sue as she finds a more ambitious and sophisticated lover at college. Bobby rushes Giff, and both he and Giff fall many feet to the ground. At the same time, Big Red arrives. Red allows Sue and the wounded Bobby to leave, and the two proclaim their love for each other. When Giff refuses to reveal the location of Red's missing cash, Red kills him.

Tags: violence, murder

Review:
This film is an example of that very specific sub-genre, the Texas neo-noir.
That American state seems to have all the right ingredients for modern noir, with its sun-baked, dusty, dead-end towns, restless people in them trying to get out of them and places seemingly so remote that the law is run by its own set of rules.
We Gotta Get Out of This Place is certainly a movie that exists in the twilight world of this sub-genre.
Bobby and Sue plan to leave for good to go to college, while B.J. chooses the faster route of crime.
The name actors are Mark Pellegrino, whom I remember from being the bungling hit-man from Mulholland Drive (2001), in this picture he's still a violent criminal but a good deal more threatening; we also have veteran William Devane, star of several 70's classics like Marathon Man (1976), who here has no more than a cameo role.
But its arguably the three younger actors who make the most impact, namely Mackenzie Davis as Sue, Logan Huffman as the reckless B.J. and finally the young Chris Penn lookalike Jeremy Allen White as the dim-witted but good natured Bobby.
The cinematography is often fine too with some dusky shots of wind turbine landscapes being particularly standout, while the moody score put me in mind of the one used in Blood Simple (1984) and any comparison to that masterpiece of the Texas neo-noir sub-genre is of course a very good thing.
The story itself is maybe a little over-familiar for those who have seen their share of neo-noirs and it doesn't necessarily pan out into anything too unexpected by the end.
This is not a film for the faint-hearted.The story revolves around three young adults who are caught up in the aftermath of the robbery.
They become involved in the criminal underworld and the situation soon escalates.This film is a modern film-noir so as is typical for the genre there are lots of twists and betrayals.
Some plot twists are shown to us the audience before they are experienced by the characters, thus giving suspense, others are not.Mark Pellegrino has a meaty role, rather like that of James Franco in 'Homefront' (2013) or even 'Tommy' in 'Goodfellas' (1990).
The younger Logan Huffman plays a character like 'Tommy' in 'The Butterfly Effect' (2004).
His mental machinations and robust physique make him intimidating and scarily unpredictable.Mackenzie Davis and Jeremy Allen White play two college-student-types who get caught up in the mayhem.
The two young thespians act their socks off as they struggle in the situations their characters are plunged into.There is also good support from Jon Gries.
Veteran actor William Devane, in a cameo, got it just right, and shows, as he did in 'Marathon Man' (1976), that a small role can be played to make an effective and lasting impression.The film was directed by Simon and Zeke Hawkins.
Hopefully, we will see many more films from this talented pair in the future.If you liked the 2012 films 'Mud' and 'Everybody Has a Plan', or the 2013 films 'Cold Comes the Night', 'The Counsellor', 'Love Is the Perfect Crime' or 'Homefront', then this similarly dark film-noir will appeal to you.A grim and gritty 9/10 but a strong stomach is needed..
For first time directors the Hawkins Brothers have produced a very tight film that treats the viewer with respect.
I thought the film wasn't that bad, but it's not all that great either.It's not a nonstop adventure like "30 Minutes or Less." Its pacing is more like that of "Near Dark" or "A Simple Plan." And the pacing very fits well with the story and its setting.The script was pretty well-thought out and well-written, if not exactly moving or memorable.
When the film is over, you may forget the characters, but you'll remember the scenery.Mark Pellegrino has fun with his role as a charming and self-wise sociopath.
Logan Huffman sounds just like Bruno Kirby and somebody apparently thought he would be more believable as a Texan if he simply called everybody "Hoss" or "Podner." I doubt that annoys anybody outside of Texas (I see most of this movies rave reviews came from Canada, Scotland and Ireland) but sure annoys the hell out of people who know better.But my biggest complaint, however, is that I haven't heard so many racial insults since "Django." Again, maybe this is the stereotypical Texas that people elsewhere want to imagine, but people in south Texas haven't spoken like that since the '40s or '50s.
There's so much intermingling of ethnicities in that area that to think or speak like that would offend the overwhelming majority of ones' family and friends.Now granted, fictional stories deserve a wide latitude for artistic license, and people involved in nefarious activities can be offensive and without conscience.
It has a few nice twists and turns along the way.The acting is good enough and the movie has a nice pace.
Well I don't know whose rating these movies so high but must be someone involved with the production and on IMDb. Pathetic.One of THE worst movies I have seen this year, couldn't wait for it to end.Simple plot - boy steals money, no reason why, spends the money stupidly in some bars (not the real underworld mind you) and nothing amis here just some frat boys handing out in a country bar.Nothing happens in the middle of the movie, it's a love triangle.
Well this one doesn't disappoint.Bad dudes are non-existent in thie movie, so is acting generally - mostly just sitting around and boring dialogue.Who rates this piece of crap 6+ Give your head a shake, one of THE worst movies I have ever seen..
The tone, the setting, the characters, the acting, the music - it's a greasy, gritty, Texas neo-noir thriller that has impeccable style.
Gotta say too that Mark Pellegrino plays one of the all-time great bad guys in this film - probably my favorite performance of his.
And on top of it all, it's a perfect example of the power that indie filmmakers have, and should be an inspiration to others who want to make a film on very little money and a lot of heart.
Title Sums It Up. One day someone was listening to the Steve Miller Band's "Take the Money and Run" and thought they could make it into a feature length film.
They took the character of Billy Joe and shortened it to BJ and made Bobbie Sue into two characters, Bobby and Sue. The writer then tossed these characters into a plot about stolen money and young lovers on the run.I'm ok with people wearing their influences on their sleeves but unfortunately you get more pleasure from the three or so minutes running time of Steve Miller's song than you can extract from this train wreck of a movie.The obvious joke is the film's title doubles as its review.
(Logan Huffman), his book-loving girlfriend Sue (Mackenzie Davis) and best friend Bobby (Jeremy Allen White) live in a small Texas town.
Sue and Bobby are looking to leave for college.
He had stolen money from their local criminal boss Giff (Mark Pellegrino).
Bobby is shocked that it turns out to be $20k from Big Red (William Devane) and Giff wants Bobby to repay it.
Giff tells them to rob Big Red.I like the young threesome.
Not Bad. Three Texas teens hope to make a break for it and escape their dead-end existence in a cotton-mill town but get sucked into the seedy underbelly of organized crime when one of them steals from the wrong man.The general plot of this is pretty good, and fans of crime or heist movies will probably dig it.
There is a really cool scene with the heist run-through that really makes the film for me, and if nothing else, solidified this as a better-than-average movie.What are we to make of the "32 ways to tell a story" theme?
Bad Turn Worse is a crime thriller done without big budget, but still manages to entertain.
It presents good script, murky atmosphere of rural town and fresh partially ironic take on crime drama.
The movie is not without flaws though, the pacing might suffer at times and despite some good twist the characters fall into stereotypical teen early on.This is a story of three teenagers who live in Texas dusty town.
The plot takes speed after a while, although it's still marred on a couple of scenes.The premise is seemingly simple, yet the script is smart and it delivers nice twists in timely manner .
Acting is good for the three leads, they look juvenile, desperately determined and wanting promise of better life.
The chemistry works by meshing these bored boorish characters together in much more adult condition than they are supposed to have.What set apart this movie from mediocrity is the occasional moments of fresh delivery amidst its bleak visual.
Several of the scenes are interestingly done, a bit self-aware, surprisingly bloody and a very reminisces of classic pulp fiction.Having many genre familiarities, it can be a bit stereotypical and the display of boredom might be stagnant, but with its fine performance and good material, Bad Turn Worse is an engaging human and crime drama..
Saw this 2 years ago and decided to rewatch it today.I literally remembered nothing about it except that I found it underwhelming but passable as a time-waster.Rewatching it today unfortunately I ended up focusing on the wrong things, like for instance the acting which was subpar for the morepart.
Mark Pellegrino is an alright baddie but the youngsters in the lead didn't really impress.Especially Jeremy Allen White who had a constant blank face in every scene even in the most intense life-threatening ones and we are supposed to root for him after all which is hard when even he doesn't show signs of caring.But he's young and I'm sure he'll do better in other things.The pace doesn't help either as it highlights the flaws more than anything else.So yeah definitely not a movie you end up watching over and over again, I know 2 times is more than enough in fact I should have stuck at 1..
The film Bad Turn Worse explores these bonds and shows just how tight they can be.
(Logan Huffman) is your typical Texas High School senior, who is more concerned with meeting the right people, and getting a good job, then he is about going to college, which present a problem in regards to his best friend and girlfriend, who are both headed towards university.
B.J. wants to leave his friends on a high note, and decides in order to accomplish this, he needs to "borrow" some money from his shady boss.
What B.J. doesn't know is just how connected his boss really is, and once it's discovered that he took the money, his life, and the lives of his two closest friends end up being in jeopardy.
In that film, Huffman looked like he would be the next big thing in Hollywood, but playing a dim-witted character in a somewhat anti-climatic story didn't do him any favors.
I was hoping to see him open up and show some range with this role, but the truth is he was just playing the same character, a highly intelligent young adult who makes poor choices.
There is a lot of discussion and strains on the groups friendship, which pop up at the absolute worse times and pretty much stop the film dead in it's tracks.
Bad Turn Worse really did feature a pretty good story, with a ton of up and coming young Hollywood talent.
I have seen many coming-of-age films over the years, including the great 1971 film The Last Picture Show, which was set in a dead-end Texas town, but Bad Turn Worse took a familiar formula and not only executed it extremely well, but found a way to give it enough humor and relish that it was not predictable or formulaic.
As a filmmaker myself, I very much appreciate the meticulously of the directing, editing, and integration of the music into the story, and the kinds of performances crafted for and by all the actors.
I particularly enjoyed the energy and sadism of Mark Pellegrino as Giff, and the scene between Bobby and the Sheriff, who is trying to explain the reality of law enforcement in his town without ever being explicit.
Zee and Simon Hawkins' as director and editor respectively are a great team, and I look forward enthusiastically to their future film projects..
*****May Contain Spoilers***** The tale tells of a story that takes place in a small town in Texas where there isn't much to do except to figure out how to leave town or to get into some trouble, and that pretty much describes our three coming-of-age main characters.
Sue & Bobby would like nothing better than to leave this town in favor of college, and BJ knows that college just isn't for him and manages instead to get into trouble with some of the wrong people.
BJ steals money from a man named Giff and because of this Bobby, Sue, and BJ all end up all on the hook for it.
Giff wants them to commit another crime in order to make up for this one, and if they don't come through they will have to answer to Giff's boss who's known simply as 'Big Red'.Well people these first time filmmakers brought to Toronto not only a well-crafted story, but a quality looking film as well.
These brothers collaborated extremely well with director of photography Jeff Bierman, and together they expertly capture the look, feel, and texture of small town Texas.
In "We Gotta Get Out of this Place" they show you these long, wide, and barren shots of literally nothing to do, and all of this adds to the main characters main problem of seclusion.
Other complements go out to these two brothers for their very cool use of transitioning the film from one scene to the next, and they also made use of good lighting, shadows, and silhouettes throughout the movie.This now takes me onto the performances, which by the way are all above average.
The three main players are all solid, but I will start with the film's villain and best performance in "We Gotta Get Out of this Place".
The film's main antagonist is Giff, and he is brought to vivid life by the very talented Mark Pellegrino.
On the flip side Jeremy Allen White plays Bobby and is the film's central and lead character.
He also gives us a sense of always wanting to do the right thing if the right thing is even a possibility considering their current situation, and put simply you can't help but really like the kid.The other two leads are BJ & Sue played by Logan Huffman & Mackenzie Davis.
She continually strives to better herself and that is the motivation for the film's title "We Gotta Get Out of this Place".Now seeing so many films back-to-back day after day in Torontowell sometimes you go into the theater not knowing what the movie is even about or who's in it.
This film is like "Blood Simple" meets "Last Man Standing" meets "Twilight", and what could've been a real missed opportunity is anything but.
With a fraction of a Hollywood budget and almost no known stars the Brothers Hawkins have done a fantastic job taking an already tight script, and turning it into an even tighter film.Okay just a few minor 'Nick-Picking' issues to touch base with.
Then there were 2 montages that I felt did nothing but add length to the feature, and at least one of them could've been cut in favor of more screen time for William Devane.At right around 1 hour and 45 minutes "We Gotta Get Out of this Place" was much better than average, and I would love to see this film get some recognition.
A solid crime drama with rich and believable characters all wrapped up in a great looking filmwell I don't know what else you could ask for?
Nick's Reel Screen Review is a very highly recommended 3 ½ stars out of 4, and that's for the crime thriller "We Gotta Get Out of this Place"..
If you think the title is strange wait until you actually see the film.
It's not three young adults fleeing small town Texas to find a better life, it's actually just two.
(Logan Huffman) is losing both his girlfriend, Sue (MacKenzie Davis) and best friend, Bobby (Jeremy Allen White) to college.
However, in Bad Turn Worse, nothing is really what it seems.
***SPOILER ALERT*** The money B.J. is freely throwing all over the place for his girl and best friend is actually stolen from his boss (or is it?) And Bobby and Sue?
What unfolds is a big series of plot twists that could have been pretty good - except the horrible script by Dutch Southern and mediocre to bad acting got in the way.
It doesn't help that most of the performances were dry - as if the cast conceded early on that this will never be anything more than a B-rated film.
While they do an excellent job capturing the gritty feel of rural Texas, they don't do so well with directing the cast.
Often, a character will start rambling on with some parable that takes up entirely too much time; guess the writers intended for these stories to be awe-inspiring but they only leave the viewer confused.
Little of these heart-to-heart chats actually tie in well with what's going on in Bad Turn Worse, which actually ends with a references back to one of these little parables/speeches (or whatever the writer wants to call them) that happened early in the film.
Anyway, I give it a 4 out of 10 because I think the plot, though strange, was overall pretty good.
With some cleaning up of the script and better directing/acting, Bad Turn Worse could have been a winner.