Seen: May 20th, 2007
Format: Broadcast - HDNMV (HD-Net Movies)
Rating: 8
There's something inherently difficult about watching iconic films. When portions of the film have become deeply embedded in the culture, the film itself tends to lose meaning. The moments themselves transcend the film and the film itself has little hope of ever meeting the expectations those moments give rise to.
But those portions often deliver in spades.
The "Dueling Banjos" scene is one of the most compelling I've seen in recent memory. There's real magic here. The actors' reactions and interplay is incredible. The pace of the scene, the way it starts slowly then builds to a frantic crescendo is completely mesmerizing. And the ending is frightening in its prophecy. This scene encapsulates the entire movie. Everything to come is shown here, and all that is left is for it to play out.
I've never quite understood Ronny Cox, and was surprised at his ability here and in this scene in particular. He nails his part and definitely holds his own. I'd venture to say that he did a better job than Reynolds, who seems type cast and a bit of a carciature.
From this point the film builds nicely. Dickey has filled these scenes with some great and thoroughly honest moments. The building camraderie and minor factioning are well written and played. Even as things build the piece holds together well as a whole.
It's when the wheels come off that things become a bit more thin. I had trouble believing Bobby's rapid recovery after being assaulted. I had trouble as well with Lewis' blase attitude following that assault. It all seemed a little too cool, all things considered.
The chase is good, though the tension could have been a bit higher. It's so tightly focused that we forget the other characters. Having done that, there could be more to hold out attention in the moment.
And it all winds down after that. It devolves into a different form of cat and mouse. This one isn't nearly so compelling as the one on the river. I like the ending. It makes us take stock of what happened and perhaps re-think our perspective on the characters. It really drives home the primary them of the film.
The Good: Xenophobia all the way 'round
The Bad: Pretending you know what you don't
The Ugly: Why can't we all just get along?
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