This Movie Falls Dead on its Feet
DIRECTED BY STEFAN RUZOWITZKY/2012
Deadfall is a, clunky, ham-fisted meditation on dysfunctional family relationships. It’s very poorly written, especially in terms of the dialogue, which sounds as if it were written by a high school student. It’s filled with choice gems like this:
“I have a past wife who visits me in dreams. She told me you were coming.”
“I’ll be home around noon. Unless I’m drinking.”
“A panicking woman is no help to anyone.”
Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde play siblings with fake-sounding Southern accents. I’m not sure why they have fake-sounding Southern accents, since the movie takes place in Wisconsin during a blizzard on Thanksgiving. The characters are supposed to be from Alabama, for no good reason whatsoever. Also, for some reason Olivia Wilde spends most of the movie in a silver sequined cocktail dress, even during one of the most unsexy sex scenes I’ve ever seen.
I’m not even sure who the main character is supposed to be. Eric Bana gets top billing and most of the screentime, but he’s an unlikeable murderer who either kills or tries to kill almost everyone he meets in the movie. Plus, he totally has a thing for his hot sister, which is weird. He does get into a fight with an Indian who cuts his finger off at one point, so there’s that. Kate Mara plays the most likeable and heroic character, but she doesn’t get as much screen time. Go figure.
This movie is silly and goofy, but not in a good way, that makes the movie fun to watch. It’s mostly just stupid, and a chore to sit through. In the end, it amounts to nothing. It has nothing to say; no resolution. And no reason why you should waste your time on it.