“We’ll do better next time.” —Lester
Today’s quick review: Clay Pigeons. Clay’s (Joaquin Phoenix) life turns into a nightmare when his best friend Earl (Gregory Sporleder) kills himself as revenge for Clay sleeping with his wife Amanda (Georgina Cates). Clay covers up the suicide to avoid being charged with murder, only for Amanda to blackmail him into continuing their relationship. Their stalemate is interrupted when Lester Long (Vince Vaughn), a charismatic trucker, rolls into town.
Clay Pigeons is a crime thriller and black comedy that takes an offbeat premise and runs with it. From the moment Earl kills himself, murder follows Clay around, wrapping him in a web of lies as he tries to avoid taking the fall. The story is nicely tangled, putting Clay in a nearly impossible situation, and the movie is anchored by a pair of solid performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Vince Vaughn, two opposites tied together by shared secrets.
Still, Clay Pigeons has a couple of aspects that do not quite work. The plot relies on a couple of key coincidences to hang together, and movie does not give them the extra flourish needed to overcome the audience’s suspension of disbelief. Lester Long grows into an important character, a hedonistic foil to Clay. While Vince Vaughn’s performance nearly hits the mark, he doesn’t have quite the presence he needs to make some of his scenes work.
Clay Pigeons fits in comfortably with other small-town thrillers. Fans of chaotic plotlines, twisted characters, and a dash of the surreal will find that Clay Pigeons makes for an entertaining watch. Its subject matter will be a little too dark for some viewers, but those with a tolerance for death will find that it balances its tone well. Give it a shot if you’re curious.
For a similar type of thriller set in a small rural town, check out Blood Simple or Sweet Virginia. For one with a darkly comedic twist, try Fargo. For a thriller that takes some of the same ideas to darker places, try The Machinist or Nightcrawler.
[6.6 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118863/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for a fascinating plot with a couple of rough edges.