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Critics Consensus: Texas Killing Fields is a competent boilerplate crime thriller, brewing up characters and plots used in better films.
Critic Consensus: Texas Killing Fields is a competent boilerplate crime thriller, brewing up characters and plots used in better films.
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All Critics (46) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (17) | Rotten (29) | DVD (2)
The characters will be familiar to fans of police procedural shows and TV movies.
The story simply doesn't stand up, with its combination of well-worn plot elements and confusing red herrings -- or maybe they're just details that don't add up.
[A] southern-fried rehash of David Fincher's Seven.
Scenes do not always necessarily follow one another. I was sometimes unclear who some of the characters were.
The only notable element of this police procedural is that director Ami Canaan Mann, daughter of filmmaker Michael Mann ("Heat," "Collateral"), who produced here, appreciates dad's esthetic but can't replicate it.
Long on style and short on coherent storytelling...
... Texas Killing Fields is a must-see.
A downbeat but atmospheric police-procedural thriller, that works in parts but not as a whole because of serious plot holes making it incoherent.
The film doesn't really go anywhere or establish any narrative sense, which is problem, since it's ostensibly a police procedural.
I know many people don't like Sam Worthington and I'm one of them. Worthington is trying to prove that he's not the one-dimensional actor that we all think he is.
depressing characters slogging through a depressing story for a depressing movie
"Texas Killing Fields" is nothing more than an average crime thriller with some better-than-average suspense. Paul Chambers, CNN.
Some ideas and especially the atmosphere of the southern swamps remind of the first True Detective season, and came out years before it. But the timing is off a couple of times and the characters just aren't as compelling. In the end the film does pick up a little speed and you can't blame a story based on real events for being not particularly spectacular or surprising. But if it wasn't for the good names in the cast this would have been instantly forgotten.
Super Reviewer
Inspired by actual events, this is the directorial debut of Ami Canaan Mann- the progeny of the great Michael Mann. This is a police procedural about two detectives trailing a killer known for kidnapping and mutilating women, then dumping their bodies in a marshy area of Texas dubbed "The Killing Fields". Their case takes a turn when the killer decides to set his sight upon them. For the most part, this is pretty standard stuff. It's not groundbreaking, but certainly watchable. It looks great, and the cinematography is probably the best aspect. The cast are notable, but their performances are serviceable, but nothing more. The film is suspenseful, but it could have used a lot more visceral moments and action. Also, the presentation is fractured in its chronology at times, which I found to be a bit unnecessary. As far as developments with plot and characters, you get just enough, but even then, a lot of it is just standard stuff we've seen before. I give it credit though for at least keeping my attention, even if there's really not a whole lot that goes on. See it if you want, but it's fine if you don't.
Once in... There's no way out. Not so good.... I really wanted to like this movie. It has good actors, and the chance of a great storyline. Unfortunately, that did not help this movie in the least. When it comes to this kind of cop film, you need direction, some one that can tell the story at a good pace, connect all the dots, get you engrossed in the mood of the film, make you sit and wait for more clues and so on, but this film lacks all of that. At the end your lost in the story, characters are totally uninteresting and you know when you are done with the movie that you could have spend your time differently. Not recommended! Souder, a homicide detective in a small Texan town, and his partner, transplanted New York City cop Detective Heigh, track a sadistic serial killer dumping his victims' mutilated bodies in a nearby marsh locals call 'The Killing Fields'. Though the swampland crime scenes are outside their jurisdiction, Detective Heigh is unable to turn his back on solving the gruesome murders. Despite his partner's warnings, he sets out to investigate the crimes. Before long, the killer changes the game and begins hunting the detectives, teasing them with possible clues at the crime scenes while always remaining one step ahead. When familiar local girl Anne goes missing, the detectives find themselves racing against time to catch the killer and save the young girl's life.
Cast: Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jessica Chastain, Chloe Moretz, Jason Clarke Director:Ami Canaan Mann Summary: While trying to crack a string of unsolved murders in small-town Texas, local homicide detective Souder and his former New York City cop partner Heigh find themselves involved in a cat-and-mouse game with the killer. My Thoughts: "The movie is not scary, bloody, or any kind of horror. It is a good suspense film that has a good pace and interesting concept. The film being inspired by true events makes it more interesting. Sam Worthington plays bad cop and Jeffrey Dean plays good cop, and it works well. Sometimes Sam seems to be a bit over dramatic, but he still pulls in a strong performance. I really enjoyed the setting of the film. It was dark and sometimes creepy. The editing and the script could have been improved and I would have liked some more action. But in the end the performances from Sam, Jeffrey, and Chloe really make this film watchable. Not bad for this being Ami Mann's first film. Can't wait to see more."
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