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Movies / On DVD / Chrystal
Chrystal

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Chrystal (2004)

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Reviews Counted:20

Fresh:16

Rotten:4

Average Rating:7/10

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for sexuality, nudity, drug content, violence and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Apr 8, 2005 Limited

Synopsis: Set in the back woods and bar rooms of the South, CHRYSTAL not only transports you to this evocative place, but also plugs you into its pulse. Sixteen years after Joe (Billy Bob Thornton)... Set in the back woods and bar rooms of the South, CHRYSTAL not only transports you to this evocative place, but also plugs you into its pulse. Sixteen years after Joe (Billy Bob Thornton) plunged the family car off the road with his beautiful wife Chrystal and their young son inside, Joe returns from prison seeking what was lost on that night. The thing Joe needs the most is the hardest to ask for — his own redemption. Writer/director Ray McKinnon co-stars brilliantly as Snake, Joe's nemesis, who is looking to settle an old score. Lisa Blount is breathtaking as Chrystal, trapped in a body racked with pain from the crash, her eyes serving as windows to another time and place in the sultry hills of the South. With vivid images and outstanding performances, McKinnon's unvarnished realism embraces his characters in their fight for emotional survival—creating a world of painfully lyrical beauty, set to an amazing soundtrack which includes The Drive-By Truckers, Jay Farrar, and Tim Eriksen. -- © First Look Media [More]

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Lisa Blount, Ray McKinnon, Harry Dean Stanton

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Lisa Blount, Ray McKinnon, Harry Dean Stanton

Director: Ray McKinnon

Director: Ray McKinnon
Composer: Stephen Trask
Studio: First Look

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Aug 30, 2005

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Chrystal

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato
3/5

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 06 2005 07:40 PM

Film Threat

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 26 2005 03:15 AM

AV Club

tomato
3.5/5

Ken Hanke

A sometimes audacious, occasionally downright brilliant, always watchable work that somehow just misses being wholly successful.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 01 2005 10:18 PM

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

splat
2.5/4

David Kronke

While some of the low-key atmospherics are effective, and Thornton suffers with exquisite quietude, some important scenes unfortunately are clumsily staged.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 10 2005 03:33 PM

Los Angeles Daily News

tomato
3/5

Kevin Crust

Chrystal unravels a bit toward the end as it becomes more fable-like, but the performances make it worthwhile.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 09 2005 04:10 PM

Los Angeles Times

tomato

Todd McCarthy

Respectable piece of work is reasonably involving if not compelling.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 27 2005 01:15 PM

Variety

tomato
3/4

Eric Harrison

It's meandering and uneven, but much of it is powerfully effective and affecting.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 27 2005 01:12 PM

Houston Chronicle

tomato
3.5/4

Jonathan W. Hickman

No slam against the O Brother ,Where Art Thou? soundtrack but Chrystal could give it a run for its money.

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | Apr., 23 2005 03:34 AM

Entertainment Insiders

tomato
B

Philip Wuntch

Even those impatient viewers who feel like they're watching paint dry will admit that the colors are beautiful.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 23 2005 03:34 AM

Dallas Morning News

tomato
3/4

Lawrence Toppman

Looks and feels authentic in a way only a Southern director is likely to achieve.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 22 2005 03:17 PM

Charlotte Observer

tomato
3/4

Matt Brunson

An affecting melodrama that's deep-fried in Southern heritage right down to its ribs.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 21 2005 11:08 AM

Creative Loafing

tomato
3/5

Marrit Ingman

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 17 2005 03:15 AM

Austin Chronicle

splat
C

Frank Swietek

Moves at a virtually glacial pace, dramatizing its story less than entombing it...lacks the radiance it obviously aspires to.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 16 2005 01:35 PM

One Guy's Opinion

splat
3/5

Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone

This would have been a better movie if it was just the Chrystal and Joe story... without some of the side bar events that don't advance the story.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 15 2005 07:28 AM

TheMovieChicks.com

tomato

Boo Allen

Triple threat writer/actor/director Ray McKinnon renders a strange tale set in the beauty of the Ozarks.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 13 2005 12:36 PM

Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

tomato
A-

Philip Martin

... a masterful and assured movie about the ways broken people try to mend connections and carry on.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 08 2005 08:51 AM

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

tomato
B+

Bob Longino

An oddly beautiful film.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 07 2005 11:47 AM

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

splat
3/5

Brad Slager

A two-hour film that contains a story that could have been smoothly detailed in thirty minutes.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 16 2004 05:15 PM

Film Threat

tomato

Duane Byrge

A grand story of redemption, laced with barbecued wit and slopped with intrigue.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 16 2004 05:15 PM

Hollywood Reporter

tomato
3/4

Pam Grady

A harrowing and indelible evocation of loss and the fragility of life.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 16 2004 05:15 PM

Reel.com

 
 
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