Shotgun Stories (2007)
Shotgun Stories Photos
Movie Info
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Cast
as Son Hayes
as Boy Hayes
as Kid Hayes
as Cleaman Hayes
as Mark Hayes
as Stephen Hayes
as Stephen Hayes
as John Hayes
as Annie
as Annie Hayes
as Shampoo
as Nicole
as Cheryl
as Carter
as Melissa
as Paul
as Kevin
as Dess
as Norman
as Amos
as Preacher
as Roger
as Basketball Kid #1
as Basketball Kid #2
as Red
as J.J.
as Police Officer
as Man at Bar
as Doctor
as Fish Farm Owner
as Nurse
as Henry
as Loop Group Member
as Loop Group Member
as Loop Group Member
as Loop Group Member
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Critic Reviews for Shotgun Stories
All Critics (47) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (5)
There is much to "Shotgun Stories" that elevates it above the fray of Green derivatives and unflattering categorizations, bolstered by a roster of naturalistic, fully assimilated performances, led by "Bug"'s now ubiquitous Michael Shannon.
A precisely modulated yet cumulatively forceful story of a rural family feud turned deadly.
Director Jeff Nichols lets the action unfold slowly following an impromptu insult, but the escalation of hatred and pain feels natural.
... here there's also an undercurrent of biblical revenge that lends the narrative a sense of violent menace and an almost continuous tension.
Few films are so observant about how we relate with one another. Few are as sympathetic.
Jeff Nichols modern Western is laconic and lazily captivating, its silence slowly building to rage.
Audience Reviews for Shotgun Stories
A slow, thoughtful, and brutally realistic look on a family torn apart by a father's infidelities, and after his death how violence erupts between the two families he started in his life. Michael Shannon, a method actor who is on the verge of typecasting himself as the "psycho" guy in movies, plays the part of a quiet man well. It is not a film for everyone because as said, it is paced almost to a crawl, but the character development and rising action are both well constructed by director Mike Nichols. If you like urban dramas that offer a different slice of life that are not seen in many movies, this is worth a view.
Super Reviewer
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Super Reviewer
Son Hayes: We don't own the square-root of shit. Shotgun Stories was the directorial debut of Jeff Nichols and it also was his first collaboration with Michael Shannon. Before the two would go on to make a masterpiece with Take Shelter, they made this masterpiece, that I may like even more then Take Shelter. I love the way in which Nichols makes movies. This guy has a pace that's all his own and he isn't afraid of moving slow and keeping his films strangely quiet. It helps even more that he saw how perfect Michael Shannon was for this story, and also Take Shelters. Shannon is the perfect actor to keep a quiet movie like this going for an hour and a half. This film involves two sides of a family. One is brother, Son, Kid, and Boy, who's father left them, when they were young. The other is the fathers second family he made in the same Arkansas town. The two families hate each other. When the father dies, Son shows up at the funeral and insults his dead father, which sets off a chain reaction. As the feud escalates, inevitable questions about the worth of the fight come up. The story unfolds slowly, and never really speeds up the whole runtime. Nichols knows exactly how to take his time with his films and I love his style. The film looks beautiful and has some beautiful music as well. The cast, although mostly unknowns to me, is phenomenal and really drive home the down south, country element of the film nicely. Shotgun Stories is one of the best films I've seen in quite a while. I know it isn't a well known film, but seek this one out at all costs. It just shows the excellence that is Nichols and Shannon. Especially watch this if you've seen Take Shelter and enjoyed it. Shotgun Stories is extremely similar to that one in tone and how it is made. This is a masterpiece.
Super Reviewer
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