Deadfall (2012)
Certified: 16
Duration: 95 minutes
Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky
Starring: Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde, Jason Cavalier, Charlie Hunnam, Kris Kristofferson, Allison Graham, Sissy Spacek, Kate Mara, Treat Williams
KRS release

The saying that “they do not make them like they used to” is so very truthful in film-making nowadays. However, Deadfall goes against the grain.

The intense thriller, directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, is populated by a stellar cast that works from a solid script by first-timer Zach Dean, to deliver an irony-free and intelligent picture, a rarity these days.

The well-timed and perfectly orchestrated opening sequence immediately sets the ball rolling.

Addison and Liza (Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde), a brother and sister with a hint of extra closeness between them, end up in a car crash during a snowdrift in Michigan. The two are thieves/con artists trying to elude their captors after a successful hit, which however, left a state trooper dead. Addison suggests that they separate and meet later on at the Canadian border. Liza agrees to this course of action even though half-heartedly.

Soon after, Liza meets and spends the night with Jay (Charlie Hunnam). He is supposed to be on his way to visit his parents (Sissy Spacek and Kris Kristofferson) who do not approve of his lifestyle and live near the Canadian border. Jay was once an Olympic boxer who had ended up in jail. The two are not entirely honest with each other and matters get complicated when emotional issues enter into the fray.

Meanwhile, Addison manages to get a snowmobile and adequate clothing and sets off for the border.

Then there is young cop Hannah (Kate Mara) who is on the siblings’ trail and also has issues of her own. She is living under the wing of her overprotective father (Treat Williams), who is also a police chief, and who does not believe that women should be enrolled into the police force.

Thanksgiving, which is round the corner, will be celebrated in a very unusual manner.

The film makes excellent use of the environment in which the story is set. The action is taut and the Fargo-esque ambience of snow-capped land, coupled with sharp crisp cinematography, adds to the film’s visual strength. The plot is essentially pulpish in style with enough meat on the characters to sustain the cast for the film’s duration. Deadfall comes to a climax in the finale, letting off steam that had slowly accumulated in the first two-thirds of the running time.

All the cast members acquit themselves well as they play people who are wounded and scarred as they move on in life while taking a multitude of bad decisions.

Bana is intense and sturdy and is the film’s strong backbone. Wilde is resplendent and we feel for her as the film twists and turns. Hunnam is a newcomer but stands up well to the test while Williams delivers plenty of emotions. Mara is believable and, ultimately, one of the characters you instinctively vie for. Kristofferson and Spacek form a tender on-screen couple who seem to have been together for years.