Today’s quick review: Small Crimes. After six years in prison, ex-cop Joe Denton (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) returns home to pick up the pieces of his life. But his past misdeeds come back to haunt him when Lt. Dan Pleasant (Gary Cole), his old partner in crime, pressures Joe to kill Manny Vassey (Shawn Lawrence), the criminal they worked for, before he can testify against them to district attorney Phil Coakley (Michael Kinney).
Small Crimes is a crime drama about an ex-convict who must choose between turning over a new leaf and returning to his old ways. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau stars as Joe Denton, a dirty cop whose violent crimes have burned almost all of his bridges. The movie puts Joe to the test by forcing him into a situation where he must kill to avoid going back to prison or worse. This premise is enough to make Small Crimes a fine pick for fans of the genre.
The best part of Small Crimes is Joe himself. Joe lacks the pathos or the charisma of other criminal protagonists, but he captures a certain flavor of self-destructive behavior very well. At some level, Joe has good intentions, but they are drowned under deliberate lies, quick fixes, and substance abuse. Every decision Joe makes is a coin flip between landing him in worse trouble and giving him a chance to make amends.
Small Crimes aims for the kind of chaotic plot seen in some other crime dramas, but it is only partially successful. The movie does a reasonable job of spreading out its backstory and letting the audience piece together the mistakes that landed Joe in prison. The many plot threads make the situation perilous for Joe and nicely unpredictable for the audience. But the ending is mediocre, relying too much on chance to wrap things up.
Anyone who likes the personal side of the crime genre may want to give Small Crimes a shot. It is missing the sharp writing and polished delivery of the best crime dramas, but decent plot work and some solid acting from Nikolaj Coster-Waldau make it worthwhile for viewers who are a little forgiving. Steer clear if you dislike seamy crime dramas, if you are looking for masterful writing, or if you want something with a little more catharsis.
For a more suspenseful crime drama with a similar main character, try A History of Violence. For another dose of small-town crime, try Blue Ruin, Sweet Virginia, or Shimmer Lake. For a crime drama about the exploits of an ex-convict, also starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, check out Shot Caller.
[5.8 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5717492/). I give it a 6.5 for an interesting plot with a couple of missteps.