Meskada [DVD] [2010] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Threads of the past weave through this interesting film about small town folks and their loyalties to each other when it comes to intervention from the outside - even to the defense of homicide. Josh Sternfeld wrote and directed this little thriller with a small cast of young actors who may just be more noticed after this dramatic effort.

Two boys - Eddie Arlinger (Kellan Lutz) and Shane Loakin (Jonathan Tucker) - drifters who go on the road to rob houses and sell their goods to pawn shops through their relationship with a bar girl (Grace Gummer, another of Meryl Streep's daughters) - accidentally kill a little boy during a robbery in Hilliard. The boy happens to be the son of a Meskada County Commissioner ( Laura Benati). Young small town detective Noah Cordin (Nick Stahl) and his new partner Leslie Spencer (Rachel Nichols) are brought in to solve the crime despite the fact that the town sheriff (Michael Sirow) and cohort (Michael Cerveris) think they can handle the matter themselves: much of the clash is bringing in an outside detective who grew up in a poor small town not far from Hilliard, viewed as interference. The local Bar owner Billy (James McCaffrey) and Shane's brother-in-law Dennis (Norman Reedus) fight to protect Eddie and Shane, but events occur that reveal the true identity of the killer after a showdown between the out of town detective and the townsfolk that come to grips with a situation no one wants to explore.

While the story leaves some gaping holes unresolved, the script does manage to capture the small town loyalties that often avoid reality. Adding the aspect of how the national economy is affecting the livelihood of small town residents heightens the tension. The young cast is very fine, especially the key performance by Jonathan Tucker. Heartthrob Kellan Lutz and Grace Gummer provide the sensual interest and Nick Stahl continues to impress as an actor on the ascent. Newcomer Michael Sirow is an actor to watch as is Grace Gummer. In all this is an entertaining film that has the courage to not 'make nice' the unsettling problems of backwoods small town ethics. Grady Harp, December 10

On the surface we've seen this before. A small town detective is put on a case involving a somewhat politically prominent person. Here, it's a woman whose young son has been murdered during a home invasion. The evidence leads him back to his home town where he finds that solving the case involves more than connecting the dots.

What makes this worth watching is that not as much time is spent working clues and putting 2 and 2 together. Most of the time is spent on the people involved. There are no real "bad" or "good" people here. No sneering villains or femme fatales and no Dudley Do-Rights. This involves a town that's on it's heels and fighting for survival, and its residents have fallen on hard times. Nick Stahl, as the detective, just wants to do his job. He grew up with most of these people and has to conduct his investigation without seeming to be a heartless outsider coming down on the white trash. Then a certain thing happens that makes him question the moral fiber of the people signing his paycheck. This is a very complex movie. I cannot say I've ever seen anything quite like it and that made it a real gem in my book. Something else that is cool here is that he is assigned a young, pretty female partner for the case and the producers/director leave it alone. No cheating. No sexual tension. No oneupsmanship between the two. Just two professionals working toward a common goal. This movie never takes the low road.

I've seen Nick Stahl in a couple of movies and I can't say I've been all that impressed. Well, after this outing I'm changing my tune. He does a sweet job here, as do most of the rest of the cast. I can't say I recognized many of the names when they popped up in the opening credits, but I knew who most of them were when I saw them. It's a good ensemble cast.

The movie understands what it's all about. It looks as though it were made on a modest budget. No fancy this, that or the other thing. But the money they had appears well spent. It has a good, down home look. Good use is made of the outdoor settings and the indoor sets feel real. You feel as though you're dealing with actual people and not cardboard cut-outs. For instance, the relationship one of the perps has with his sister and nephew really drives home what this movie is all about. You rarely get this sort of thing out of Hollywood.

If you want the same old same old there is plenty of stuff out there. If your looking to walk the road less traveled, then this is where you want to be.

On the surface, "Meskada" would seem to be a film that has everything going for it. With an attractive and appealing cast involved in a tale of class struggle, local politics, and murder--I was pretty excited to discover a genuine sleeper. But, despite many worthy elements, the film falls short of must-see entertainment for one reason. While at times the film veers into more far fetched territory (mostly in the realm of ruthless local politics), it is the utter familiarity that eventually undermines the better aspects of this tale. Nothing seemed particularly fresh. It's easy to watch this film, it may even be easy to like this film, but it lacks anything to really differentiate it in the overstuffed crime genre market. That's not to say it isn't worthy of a look--I just don't think I'll remember it at all in a few months.

With the murder of a Meskada County councilwoman's son, Nick Stahl (a local police man) is assigned to track down the culprits. Aided by a county cop (Rachel Nichols), the two stumble on a rather explicitly convenient bit of evidence that leads them to suspect the murderers live in a neighboring town. It happens to be where Stahl grew up, so the two use past connections to pinpoint town members who travel for work in this down-turned economy. This isn't a mystery, however, we know that this is a home invasion gone wrong perpetrated by n'er-do-wells Kellan Lutz and Jonathan Tucker. The film delivers the requisite small town moments--Tucker is assisting his ill nephew, Lutz is romancing a local waitress, Stahl hangs around for a rather uneventful fair. But we're just biding time until the eventual revelations are exposed.

Through it all, we see the influence of street justice and political manipulation. A employment opportunity and economic boon is threatened for the locals until this unseemly matter can be resolved to everyone's satisfaction. This results in short cuts and cover-ups. Stahl is good (I've always thought he should have been bigger), but never really developed into a full bodied character. His wife and child are barely seen--he is presented only in the context of this investigation. Nichols is even more of a cipher--willing to put her professional reputation on the line doing rogue policework with a virtual stranger. The culprits are rather unremarkable and the increasing mob mentality in several factions tends to be distracting and unbelievable. Still I liked the actors, even if their characters weren't particularly distinguished. The film is fairly solid--although it fails to capitalize on the morally ambiguous dilemmas it creates--and I was entertained, if unmoved. About 3 1/2 stars--I could easily go either way on rounding--but I'll move it up for the cast. KGHarris, 3/11.