Texas Killing Fields - 2011

Anchor Bay Films, Blue Light, Infinity Media

Directed by Ami Caanan Mann

Cast:

• Mike Souder – Sam Worthington
• Brian Heigh – Jeffrey Dean Morgan
• Little Ann Sliger – Chloe Grace Moretz
• Shauna Kitteridge – Corie Berkemeyer
• White Kid – Trenton Perez
• Mrs. Kitteridge – Maureen Brennan
• Captain Bender – Tony Bentley
• Neighbor – Becky Fly
• Lucie Sliger – Sheryl Lee
• Eugene – James Hebert
• Pam Stall – Jessica Chastain

Story: Souder, a homicide detective in a small Texan town, and his partner, transplanted New York City cop Detective Heigh, track a sadistic serial killer dumping his victims' mutilated bodies in a nearby marsh locals call 'The Killing Fields'. Though the swampland crime scenes are outside their jurisdiction, Detective Heigh is unable to turn his back on solving the gruesome murders. Despite his partner's warnings, he sets out to investigate the crimes. Before long, the killer changes the game and begins hunting the detectives, teasing them with possible clues at the crime scenes while always remaining one step ahead. When familiar local girl Anne goes missing, the detectives find themselves racing against time to catch the killer and save the young girl's life. (borrowed from IMDb)

Review: Based on true events (again?), there seem to be a lot of these going around these days, but this one is not one of the better ones. While the actors play their roles well (and I must confess, part of the reason I rented this is because Sam Worthington was in it), the film lacks an overall sense of cohesion. We are tossed into the middle of things, and the dialog concerning the “Killing Fields” is sketchy at best. Sam Worthington's character seems to feel there is enough crime in his jurisdiction to let the killing fields be someone else's problem. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character is taking those killings personally, for some reason that is never fully revealed until a local girl comes up missing. There's plenty of action, a fairly good plot, but not enough exposition to tell us what is going on. The depth of the character development is poor, and the photography looks like something out of the Blair Witch Project at times, nothing to write home about. Rated R for language, violence, and some sexual situations, I'd recommend this for people who have a lot of time on their hands and don't care about things like making sense. If you must rent it, do so, but can't see this one as being collectible.