Today’s quick review: Sweet Virginia. Violence comes to a small town when Lila Mccabe (Imogen Poots) hires Elwood (Christopher Abbott), an odd drifter, to kill her husband. Elwood finishes the job, but he murders two other men in the process, making a widow of Bernadette Barrett (Rosemarie DeWitt). As the search for the killer continues, Sam Rossi (Jon Bernthal), the owner of the local motel and Bernadette’s lover, finds himself at the center of it all.
Sweet Virginia is a crime thriller about a trio of murders in a small country town. The movie follows the intersecting lives of Sam, Elwood, Lila, and Bernadette as they cope with the aftermath of Elwood’s deed. Sweet Virginia has a brooding atmosphere, as well as an intricate story that emphasizes its cast of realistic characters. However, in spite of these strengths, its low stakes and slow pacing make the movie less engrossing than it tries to be.
Sweet Virginia has the right ingredients in the wrong proportions. The emotionally damaged characters, the lingering camerawork, the eerie soundtrack, and the slow-motion collision course between Sam and Elwood all set Sweet Virginia up to be an effective thriller, but the movie never gets them to work well together. Dramatic camera techniques are wasted on inconsequential moments, while the climax of the film is not quite worth the build-up.
Sweet Virginia will appeal to fans of mundane crime thrillers fueled by anticipation. The movie does not have the expert touch that makes the greatest films in the genre so compelling, but it does have enough of the right elements to be a decent pick for the right viewer. Those looking for something slow, personal, and somewhat ominous may want to give it a shot. Those looking for a crime movie with a more active plot should steer clear.
For a minimalistic crime thriller with more to offer, try Blood Simple or Blue Ruin. For a more violent and gripping story about a roving killer, try No Country for Old Men. For a small-town crime drama built from similar parts, check out Cut Bank. For a darker thriller that pits two men against each other in a rural setting, try Mojave.
6.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for decent characters and atmosphere hurt by a sluggish plot.