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Gary Cole

Darkness Falls: The Sins of the Father

June 12, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

In Darkness Falls, Detective Jeff Anderson (Shawn Ashmore) seems to have it all. A devoted husband and father, Anderson is also next in line for a big promotion to Captain of the precinct as well. All of that comes crashing down however, when his wife suddenly commits suicide. Believing that she’s really been murdered, Anderson becomes obsessed to with the investigation and bringing the mysterious killers to justice. 

Directed by Julien Seri (Combattants), Darkness Falls is a (mostly) fun genre thriller that almost comes together. While the film clicks along at a brief 86-minute runtime, its pacing feels uneven in places and still feels about 10 minutes too long. Filled with clichés and convenient moments, Falls unfortunately feels too often like the culmination of stories that we’ve seen many times before. Even so, an energetic performance by star Shawn Ashmore (X-Men) keeps the film engaging for the audience. As a husband and father grieving the loss of his wife, Ashmore is firing on all cylinders, fluctuating wildly between rage-fueled obsession and love for his child. (Admittedly though, a film about a rogue cop that pushes the boundaries of law enforcement does feel awkwardly out of touch with culture with its release at this particul moment.) In addition, veteran Gary Cole (The Art of Racing in the Rain) is also clearly enjoying the chance to play against type as a cold but vicious serial killer. Normally known for his roles as gentle supporting characters, Cole’s cool demeaner as the maniacal Witver effectively offsets Ashmore’s more erratic detective and effectively highlights the imbalance of power between the two foes. 

Interestingly, Falls points out the dangerous results that can occur when the sins of the father are passed on to their children. For example, Falls recognizes the danger that a lack of self-awareness can create for future generations through Anderson’s relationship with his child. As he dives further into his obsession with catching the Witvers, Anderson becomes increasingly distant from his own son. Fueled by rage, he justifies his neglect of his child through his belief that he’s only doing what is necessary to bring his wife’s killers to justice. However, by juxtaposing the Andersons’ father-son relationship with that of the Witvers, Falls showcases the poison that can be created when toxicity flows between generations. Just as the elder Witver has passed on the pain of his past to his son, Anderson’s obsession with revenge causes him to run the risk of doing the same with his own young child. In other words, similar to Witver’s poisonous paternal relationship, Anderson’s grief and anger continue to push him over the edge and he begins to place a wedge between himself and his family. In order for Anderson to truly save his son, he must first decide to do either battle with his own inner demons or run the risk of creating new ones within his own home.

In the end, Darkness Falls is a flawed but enjoyable ride that allows for veterans Ashmore and Cole to step out of their comfort zones. More importantly though, by recognizing the pain that can be caused by our own inability to deal with our own issues, Falls also points to the potential for passing that on to our own children and thereby damaging their future.

Darkness Falls premieres online on June 12th, 2020.

Filed Under: Film, Reviews, VOD Tagged With: Darkness Falls, Gary Cole, Julien Seri, Shawn Ashmore

The Bronze – Spoiled by Success

March 18, 2016 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

What happens when you reach the high point of your life in your teens? How do you face the many years ahead that will never be that good again? At least you assume nothing will ever reach that pinnacle of joy. The Bronze is the story of a young woman who has never gotten over her success.

Hope Ann Greggory (Melissa Rauch) was a world class gymnast who became America’s Sweetheart after she battled on after a terrible injury to do one last routine that raised the US team to a bronze metal. Now, a dozen years later, she still lives in her father’s (Gary Cole) basement, wears her Team USA gym suit every day, watches the video of her triumph, and relishes being the most famous person in her small town of Amherst, Ohio. She is foul-mouthed, rude, demanding, thieving, and self-destructive, but everyone seems to love her, or at least tolerate her, because she put their town on the map.

Now Maggie (Haley Lu Richardson), a young gymnast prodigy, is in town to train with Hope’s former coach. When the coach dies, Hope gets a letter from the coach offering her a $500,000 inheritance if she coaches the newcomer through the next games. But for Hope, this could mean the end of her status as the town’s celebrity. Will she undermine Maggie, or teach her what she needs to know to move to the next level? Toss in a minor romance story with the local boy carrying a torch for Hope after all these years and a rival coach (a good looking male gymnast who won individual gold rather than a team bronze) and you have the elements of a story that offer the possibility of change and growth.

I should note that I don’t much like Hope; I’m not supposed to. The film goes overboard in the effort to make her as unlikable as possible. I think they overdid it a bit, because by the time any change may happen in Hope, we have moved beyond caring. And while there is transformation that does happen, it never seems quite plausible that this despicable young woman could change so much so quickly.

But really, that likableness is not the real issue. Hope is someone who has stopped living because of the success she had all those years ago. Rather that enjoying her fifteen minutes of fame and going on to the next phase—possibly using the lessons of discipline and hard work to conquer something new—she has created her cocoon to keep the fading glory at bay. There is a line from the play Man of LaMancha: “Soft and fair, my friends; in last year’s nests there are no birds this year.” The past, especially a very happy past, may seduce us into wanting to stay there. And nostalgia can be a very pleasant thing if kept in check. But for Hope the past is a trap that has held her for too long. The way forward is to find others whom she can share, not her past, but her future with. It is the tomorrows that give life meaning.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: coming-of-age, Gary Cole, gymnastics, Haley Lu Richardson, Melissa Rauch, Thomas Middleditch

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