- unjustly snubbed by Sundance, probably because of its slow, lethargic pace, Jeff Nichols' directorial debut is nonetheless one of the most mature debuts of the year.
- Michael Shannon stars as Son in a story about two sets of half-brothers whose hostilities are brought to surface when their father dies. the film plays as a sort of double-edged In the Bedroom, focusing on the apparent necessity of revenge and the lack of satisfaction that comes with it.
- while far from perfect or as well-made as Todd Field's picture, Shotgun Stories has a sensible pace and makes its statement in only about 84 minutes. Nichols (who also scripted) would've been better to make the film solely from Son's family's point of view as the brief scenes of their half-brothers fail to characterize any of them beyond archetypes. Nichols is however properly subtle in his economic contrast of the two sets; the superiority can be felt when Son's half-brother shows up to his house, parking his new Ford in front of Son's beat up Mazda.
- landscape is well captured which is to be expected when David Gordon Green is producing, and one gets a fair idea of Arkansas as that's all the camera or the characters seem to know.
7.5/genuine directorial debut with enough nuance to successfully recapitulate its themes
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