Written by: David Koepp and Christopher McQuarrie and Dylan Kussman (screenplay by), Jon Spaihts andAlex Kurtzman & Jenny Lumet (screen story by)
Directed by: Alex Kurtzman
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jake Johnson, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Courtney B. Vance, Russell Crowe
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
Debilitated from years of abuse by his malevolent father, Wade Whitehouse is a drunken failure on the job and with his family. When a local businessman is mysteriously killed during a deer hunt, Wade sees the case as a path to redemption.
Verdict
Nolte does a great job as Wade, a tortured man looking for a victory. This is a slower movie, as the plot unfolds I wondered if Wade would be vindicated, but it was his personal demons that got the best of him. There's a lot to unpack in this movie. A mystery that isn't about the actual crime.
Watch it.
Review
Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is sheriff of a small New Hampshire town, and he's not doing well on the job. Years of emotional abuse from his father have ruined him. Maybe he's a cop to impress his father or to finally wield power. For so long he was rendered powerless growing up as we see through frequent flashbacks. Wade is explosive and reckless.
When a businessman is murdered, the crime becomes an obsession. Despite the doubts of everyone else, he's certain he'll catch a murderer and redeem himself. His life is in shambles, but he's consumed by this supposed murder.
He's hindered only by a toothache, a manifestation of the emotional pain and trauma he suffers. While he doesn't attempt to fix the tooth, it's a parallel to the childhood that's irreparable. That and Wade refuses help. He forges ahead despite the repercussions.
For whatever reason he chose to stay in his hometown near his dad. Wade's brother Rolfe moved away, and he seems all the better for it.
Wade has suffered from the lack of a good father, but he's become a bad dad himself. He's so stuck on this big redemption that he's a bad father to his daughter. He only wants custody to get back at his wife. Not once does he take a genuine interest in his child.
We only see this from Wade's point of view. From that vantage his suspect looks guilty, but if a deranged man who had been fired as sheriff were chasing me, I'd run too. I never considered that our view is skewed by Wade until the very end. That ending hits you too.
This feels like an older movie. Much of the plot is rooted in what we can't see. This isn't about the crime, but how Wade has been shaped and at times broken.
Coburn won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and Nolte was nominated for Best Actor.
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