One False Move (1992)

Bloody, ruthless and very interesting early writing success for Billy Bob Thornton. After a drug buy goes bad, Ray(Thornton)and Pluto(Michael Beach)with pretty Fantasia(Cynda Williams)in tow head from California to Star City, Arkansas. Waiting there in the middle of nowhere is the local sheriff Bill Paxton and he is eager to go from small time to the big time. With or without the help of a couple of L.A.'s finest on the case, the young sheriff is out to prove himself. The finale is a burst of action. Also in the cast are Jim Metzler and Earl Billings. Billy Bob, with pony tail and all, will be no disappointment for his fans.

Fmovies: Directed by Carl Franklin and written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, 'One False Move' is a thriller starring Cynda Williams, Billy Bob Thornton, Bill Paxton, Michael Beach,etc.

Although the film on the surface is another drug deal gone wrong type thriller with violence and blood, but it has a lot going on beneath the violence of the criminal activities portrayed on screen. The script deals with the themes of the contrast between the country and the city, racism and the mask that many people wear to hide the complexities of their lives and their past. Somehow all these themes come together in the most seamless and nuanced manner to enhance the poignancy of the film. The plot reminded me of Richard Brooks' 'In Cold Blood'. It has a similar structure of criminals on the road trying to evade the law while the police is making plans to bring them in.

The acting is very good from all involved. Many of the characters in the film are not what they might appear to be initially. I have to individually mention Bill Paxton and Cynda Williams for showing a lot of range by playing character, the perceptions for whom change radically in the viewer's mind with the revealing of new facts about their past.

I have already mentioned that the script is layered, but even then this could have become a standard crime-thriller with no depth. Carl Franklin actually underlined the themes in the script by putting more emphasis on the characters, their behaviour and their past than just the violence of the criminal activities. The film ends on an optimistically in a subtle way. But personally I would have probably ended the film on a bleaker note to go with the subtext of the film. But the ending to the film still works as a hopeful message.

I have seen this movie twice. The first time, for the whole movie I was on the edge of my seat. This was an intense film. From the extremely brutal beginning to the climatic end, I couldn't relax once. I did notice the fact that race played no factor; all colors were represented on both sides. In 1992, I had seen over fifty movies at the theater so I put together a top ten list and this movie made it easily. Since I knew how the movie would play out, on my second viewing I was able to look for other things. This time I noticed though the thrilling aspects of the film were used to set the movie in motion, underneath there was an examination of big city meets rural town. Amazingly, the main characters weren't treated as stereotypes. Each character (I count six) was fleshed out but not too much. There were no judgments on which life was better or any advantages or disadvantages to either style of living. In a lot of ways the film reminded me of John Sayles' movies. In other words a movie that a lot of thought went into making it. A great film.

One False Move fmovies. Bad language and violence aside, this is one of the best movies of the 90's! This is actually, a lighthearted police drama with many surprises. One of the surprises is the depiction of small town Arkansas. They may have finally gotten it right! It is slower, safer and more relaxing in comparison to the life that the cops from L.A. have and there isn't any stereotyping that I could find! Another surprise is the performance by Billy Bob. He may be one of the most evil drug dealers I have ever seen on the big screen.

A word of caution though. This movie, at least in my opinion, has one of the most violent (not overly graphic, but sadistic) openings to a movie I have seen in a film. The way the murders and tortures are committed are a little hard to watch. But if you get past that, the movie settles down a lot and you really want to see the "bad guys" get what's coming to them! And the language is extremely rough. I saw the movie again on BRAVO and while there is a lot of silent moments, where they cut out the language, nothing else is cut from the film. A remarkable film.

I give this film an A-.

Three criminals pull off a cash and drug heist in LA, which results in the sadistic and brutal murders of six people. The crooks are Fantasia (Cynda Williams), a bad girl with a soft spot. She got pregnant in her teens and got talked into the robbery by her boyfriend Ray Malcolm (Billy Bob Thornton) who is a paranoid and violent psychotic. Yet throughout the course of events, Fantasia wants to go back home to Star City and see her little boy (something that ultimately contributes to her downfall). The third member of the gang is Pluto (Michael Beach), a would be intellectual crime boss whose personality varies between being a cold and sadistic killer with a passion for knives and a cool calm and collected crook who won't kill unless he has to. Having pulled off the job they decide to make for Phoenix Arizona in order to sale the drugs and split the money. However, things are complicated by Fantasia wanting to go home and more blood is shed along the way.

ONE FALSE MOVE is a neglected gem. It marked the feature-film debut of American director Carl Franklin who takes a run-of-the-mill cops and robbers yarn and wisely places the emphasis on character. He is most ably assisted in this by a largely unknown but solid cast who give their director maximum effort in every scene. Williams, Thornton (who also co-wrote the script) and Beach are excellent as the three gangsters while Bill Paxton is also excellent as Hurricane the Star City cop entrusted with the task of helping the LA police track the gang down. The film got a very poor release at the time and it was even denied the film a screening at the Sundance Film Festival and it was dismissed as too violent. The film starts off quite violently but once it gets going the emphasis is on good old fashioned character study, but because of it's failure to reach the Sundance festival it wasn't picked up by a major distributor and it more or less went straight to video. Director Carl Franklin has done very little since apart from DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS with Denzel Washington, a crime thriller that was well received by the critics but didn't take on with the public. Billy Bob Thornton, however, has since become an international star appearing in such modern classics as A SIMPLE PLAN (1999) and the Coen Brothers' sublime black and white noir film THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE (2001).

Boy, this film takes me back to the jerkwater Arkansas town where I spent several years of my youth. Bill Paxton (Aliens, True Lies, "Big Love") is spot on as a cracker sheriff who, in his words, hasn't drawn his gun in six years on the job. Well, he drew his gun seven years ago and it has now come back to haunt him and put him in a position that could get him killed.

Billy Bob Thornton (A Simple Plan, Sling Blade, Astronaut Farmer), Arkansas born himself, co-wrote and starred in this film and really pulls off the psycho robber with such perfection that I really cannot understand how a supposedly intelligent guy like "Pluto" (Michael Beach - Short Cuts, "Third Watch," "ER") could hook up with him, especially since they spent two years in jail after the last job. Joining the duo, was Cynda Williams (Mo' Better Blues) in her second film, as Fantasia/Lila. She did a super job.

As the trio heads to Houston from L.A. the body count rises and the Sheriff is put into a position where he has to act alone. False moves throughout the film just add to the tension and excitement.