One False Move

I really did not like this film but decided to watch it through till the end. Bill Paxton's character is very annoying, Billy Bob Thornton's character is extremely vulgar. Michael Beach is good as the menacingly dangerous accomplice. Cynda Williams is believable as the junkie girlfriend. Beach and Williams earned the two stars.

Good acting and exciting plot. I enjoyed this movie.

This review is an excerpt from my book “Killer B’s: The 237 Best Movies On Video You’ve (Probably) Never Seen,” which is available as an ebook on iBooks. If you enjoy this review, there are 236 more like it in the book (plus a whole lot more). Check it out! ONE FALSE MOVE: Coke and cash—that’s what Roy (Thornton) and Pluto (Beach) are after, and they don’t care who they have to kill to get them, even two entire families. All signs indicate that the pair is fleeing L.A. to hide out at Roy’s uncle’s place in Star City, Arkansas, taking Roy’s beautiful black moll, “Fantasia” (Williams), along for the ride. The backwater town’s police chief, Dale Dixon (Paxton) is plumb tickled they’re heading his way. This is the biggest thing that’s ever happened during his ten years on the force, and he gets to hang out with a couple of big city boys on the stakeout! Dale gets a double dose of reality, though, when he finds that the cops are mocking his countrified style—and when a photo of the killers reveals that “Fantasia” is homegirl Lila Walker. Dale tried to sway the wayward Walker from an early life of crime, but she split five years ago, leaving a young son behind her. And suddenly a second story starts, and everyone involved descends on Lila, each with his own agenda. Discussion: Hit with both barrels of reality, Dale is suddenly sobered into proving he’s not the interrupting bumpkin he appears. His motives prove complex: Is he attempting to cover up an old life come back to haunt him, or is he attempting to atone for his “one false move,” made years earlier? In addition to the deft direction and compelling script, the performances are first-rate. Everyone hits precisely the right tone, particularly Paxton. A heavy sense of impending doom hangs over everyone’s head in this chilling thriller, as though not one among them can escape the trajectory of their interwoven, deadly destinies. Perhaps the highest praise I can give this film is that the questions left unanswered are the most intriguing. How did Lila fall in with Roy? Is she telling the truth to Dale? And what happens after the final fadeout? We care—but we’ll never know.

SPOILER ALERT -- or should I say saving you 2 hrs of your life and $18 bucks -- The movie itself has very little substance -- a basic cookie cutter plot: one sociopathic genius (who never expresses his superior intellect so it is irrelevant), a hillbilly with impulse control issues, and a traumatized female junkie girlfriend who has moments of conscience which are quickly overcome by the opportunity for personal gain, all of whom are on the run after knocking over a drug house. Meanwhile, out in the country, redneck sherriff (played by Bill Paxton) learns that using racial slurs isnt polite and that sometimes words (even used in gest) can be hurtful (restaurant scene) -- but the important thing is to hold your head high lest the big city police might think you are not only ignorant but impotent. In a final climactic scene the junkie girl turns out to be Paxtons former lover and his previosu youthful advancements on her traumatized her (obviously causing her to flee town and make bad life choices like hooking up with murderous junkies). What a pickle you might say --- boy the tension was thick like Los Angeles smog -- I could hardly peel myself away from the unique and intelligently written story -- after a very poorly scripted generic shootout where of course all the bad guys die and the good guy is injured (perhaps mortally) the redneck sherrif is re-introduced to his illegitimate mullato son and we are left to wonder if he will survive his injuries and go on to be a wonderful father free of prejudice or will this union with his son complete the cycle of the story and he can now rest in peace. What a cliffhanger -- SERIOUSLY save your money on this one

Very good movie. Extraordinary acting. Chilling how cold hearted the characters are.

This is a great sleeper film. I would wait to see if they make it rentable first though. This film is one those hamburger films you luck up and catch on some random late Tuesday night on cable. Its a very dark tale, but keeps your interest through out. Still, 10 bucks is a little steep, but 3.99 to rent it is a steal.