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Released By: Image/RLJ Entertainmentl
Released On: 05/21/2013
Director: Kevin Barker
Cast: Brad Dourif, Alexia Fast, Spencer Daniels, Sarah Steele, Marianne Hagan
Year: 2012
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The Film:
As far as Direct-To-Video films go, some are good and some are bad. That's pretty much a no-brainer, as any knowledgeable movie fan will tell you. When it comes to horror films, odds are that they tend to lean a little more towards the bad side, sometimes landing right in the middle of horrendous land. But good, bad, horror, or not, one tool that most DTV filmmakers employ is a "well-known actor". The actor doesn't have to be at the top of his game, or even be in the game anymore, just have a name that people recognize that may urge them to check out this movie that they don't recall being in the theatres. In the case of Kevin Barker's latest, Last Kind Words, the name Brad Dourif was certainly enough for me to take note; I'll watch that guy in just about anything.
Last Kind Words starts out with a pre-credit roll sequence involving a hunting trip gone wrong, after a young boy discovers a body hanging from a tree in the woods. Flash-forward a number of years, and we find Eli (Spencer Daniels) and his family rolling up to a farm belonging to a strange, pony-tailed dude named Waylon (Dourif). Righteous prayer and not-so-secret alcoholism have failed Eli's recently unemployed father, Bud, and he's been forced to move from the city to rely on old friend Waylon's odd-jobs-around-the-farm-to-get-by charity. Things don't seem to be much better out at the farm than they were in the city as Eli is separated from his friends and forced into closer quarters with his abusive father, and there's something not quite right about the overly-friendly Waylon; and then there's that dog, who won't stop barking at unseen things in the woods.
Attempting to distance himself from his family and their mundane chores, Eli takes long walks in the forest, where he meets a good-looking girl named Amanda (Alexia Fast). Amanda seems really into him, put-together, and just a little weird, although she is prone to some extremely angry flipouts when Eli attempts to venture further into the woods that she's warned him to stay away from. Eli, however, seems to be happy to ignore her mood swings, as long as she's willing to cause conflict in his religiously brought-up mind by stripping her clothes off for afternoon pond-swimming sessions, and the occasional barn loft make-out.
Unfortunately for Eli, his somewhat perfect escape turns out to be less than desirable as he pieces together old stories involving the Underground Railroad, hanging bodies in the woods, and suspicious activities involving Waylon, his father, and his new girlfriend. Isolated from the real world, with people around him starting to die off due to nasty circumstances, Eli is forced to figure out what happened in the woods all of those years ago, before he becomes part of the folklore.
Though I certainly wouldn't describe Last Kind Words as a good film, it does have some redeeming qualities. First and foremost are the actors that Barker has gathered for his film; up-and-comer Alexia Fast manages to pull off girl next door and menacing presence in the blink of an eye, and Dourif is his wild and wonderful wacky self. Spencer Daniels, who is normally pretty decent, comes off as a bit of a weak link in this one, though his one-dimensional performance could be attributed largely to the writing; but lacking a personality does not really work in the case of the film.
Aside from the performances, the direction is more than adequate, with Barker making good use of limited locations, conveying a bit of eeriness when required, and capturing the isolation of Waylon's farm decently...but the lack of a strong script, which can also be attributed to Barker leaves the film in the dust by the time of the big reveal (which you should see coming from about 6 miles away) halfway through the film. By the time it hits the Eli's resolution to his situation near the end of the film, Last Kind Words has crossed the line into slightly ridiculous. If that was the only flaw, it might be overlooked somewhat, but the weakest link in the film is the editing, which borders on frustrating. Although it has a shorter running time than most feature films, it feels overlong and too drawn out, with no identifiable flow. It's unclear whether or not the script has huge plot holes, lacks sense, or if the editors didn't know what was supposed to go where, and combined with some TERRIBLE music cues that come in like a kick in the teeth, Last Kind Words leaves you with no kind words.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Image brings Last Kind Words to DVD in a 2.35:1 transfer that looks okay. It won't knock your socks off, but there's nothing really wrong with it; blacks are adequately represented, with a decent range of colours. The timing does appear to change during different segments of the film, which is strange, but shouldn't be too noticeable or distracting. Minimal artifacts do pop up from time to time, but nothing that should take away from the film.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track was a source of slight frustration, as the dialogue went from mumblemumbemumble mode to crashing sound effects, to jarring music cues, causing numerous grabs for the remote. Use of the surrounds and sub weren't overdone, but man...those volume changes are not fun.
There are no extras to be found on the disc.
The Final Word:
Attempting to watch this movie with an open mind was an exercise in patience with little payoff. Dourif is fantastic as always, but there's little else to recommend about Last Kind Words, especially with it's abnormally high retail price. A not great movie gets an average presentation on a barebones disc. Proceed at your own risk.
