Movie Review: Blow the Man Down
1st January 2021
Copyright: Amazon Studios
Dark crimes and moral duty engulf our leading characters, their grief and sudden misfit approach to covering up a crime a certainly engaging premise. But Blow the Man Down does little for innovation or engaging craft, instead, this Prime Original toils and struggles to make heads or tails of its narrative. Still, considering the stark drop in quality this year, we can take comfort in some mediocrity, the stalwart pangs of representation we’ve seen all before. Sometimes it’s nice to view a feature mired by its own predictable nature, especially if the performers are likeable enough. Directing pair Danielle Krudy and Bridget Savage Cole aren’t up to that task, unfortunately.
Tired tropes make the rounds once again in a film that lacks a unique spark of energy or creativity. Leading pair Morgan Saylor and Sophie Lowe make for a forgettable mixture to lead us through a film as underwhelming as their performances. What should have been a rather light, enjoyable bit of drama is turned into a sludge-like substance that fails to do anything but exactly what an audience would expect of it. One or two minor twists do shine through, making for moments of brief interest. They don’t stay around long though, minuscule moments of joy when stood alongside the broader, blander moments.
Don’t be fooled by June Squibb’s attachment to this film, her name value alone has carried projects across the finish line before, and it doesn’t quite work here. As grand an actor she is, Blow the Man Down doesn’t know how to utilise her or any of its other performers. Mismanagement of cast and crew is a clear issue with this film. It doesn’t know how to spend its time, rummaging around in a bag of predictable ideas, looking for one flutter of interest. Never finding such a moment, Blow the Man Down feels like a frustrating succession of underwhelming moments, which could’ve been put together with far more care had there been the time to develop these characters and brief ideas of interest further than plodding nonsense.
A small-town crime picked apart by the various characters swanning the sleepy streets, Blow the Man Down is a void of talent and consistency. To watch this and write up your thoughts is a Herculean task, especially considering how little there is to discuss. A completely fine piece of film. Nothing that’ll indicate any major sense of overwhelming quality, nor a film that’ll bring about great changes to the genre it finds itself stapled to. Blow the Man Down presents a small town with big secrets, but the biggest secret of all is the story-shaped hole these cast members work tirelessly to hide from us.
