Every single performance in this film is mesmerizing. From Bill Paxton’s small town sheriff who feels he has something to prove to the big-city cops, to the trio of villains played by Billy Bob Thornton, Cynda Williams, and the leader of the gang played by Michael Beach. Beach delivers a cold, ruthless performance as he directs the gang and leads them further and further into chaos.
 

Billy Bob Thornton wrote the script for the film and his dialogue just cracks from the jump. Thornton created one of the all-time great neo-noirs and I wish he would go back to writing about crime, or just writing in general. The funny thing is, I am not even sure if he knew he was writing a neo-noir. Thornton grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and something tells me he was just writing what he knows. Not that he was knee deep in drug deals gone sour, but that he understands the way the south clicks, the way it moves, what happens when the sun goes down.
 

The 90’s gave us some really good neo-noirs. RED ROCK WEST with Nicholas Cage and Dennis Hopper is solid, THE LAST SEDUCTION with Linda Fiorintino and Peter Berg is brilliant, but neither of those can touch ONE FALSE MOVE. A true classic.

SEE YOU ON FORTY DEUCE.
 
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Jon Abrams

Editor-In-Chief at Daily Grindhouse

Jon Abrams is a New York-based writer, cartoonist, and committed cinemaniac whose complete work and credits can be found at his site, Demon’s Resume. You can contact him on Twitter as @JonZilla___.

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