Bad Turn Worse (2014)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Touches You

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The acting in this movie is really good.

Saw this 2 years ago and decided to rewatch it today.I literally remembered nothing about it except that I found it underwhelming but passable as a time-waster.Rewatching it today unfortunately I ended up focusing on the wrong things, like for instance the acting which was subpar for the morepart. Mark Pellegrino is an alright baddie but the youngsters in the lead didn't really impress.Especially Jeremy Allen White who had a constant blank face in every scene even in the most intense life-threatening ones and we are supposed to root for him after all which is hard when even he doesn't show signs of caring.But he's young and I'm sure he'll do better in other things.The pace doesn't help either as it highlights the flaws more than anything else.So yeah definitely not a movie you end up watching over and over again, I know 2 times is more than enough in fact I should have stuck at 1.

If you think the title is strange wait until you actually see the film. First of all, the synopsis for Bad Turn Worse is not entirely accurate. It's not three young adults fleeing small town Texas to find a better life, it's actually just two. One of our main characters, B.J. (Logan Huffman) is losing both his girlfriend, Sue (MacKenzie Davis) and best friend, Bobby (Jeremy Allen White) to college. So, he takes them both out for a wild night of partying and drinking at a local bar and hotel to celebrate. However, in Bad Turn Worse, nothing is really what it seems. ***SPOILER ALERT*** The money B.J. is freely throwing all over the place for his girl and best friend is actually stolen from his boss (or is it?) And Bobby and Sue? Well, there's more to their leaving than just college. What unfolds is a big series of plot twists that could have been pretty good - except the horrible script by Dutch Southern and mediocre to bad acting got in the way. ***END SPOILER*** This is one strange movie, I'll say that again. For one, the plot tends to drag along with all the enthusiasm of a turtle, and a good deal of what happens seems illogical. Why writers make these characters so clueless, especially characters who are supposed to be intelligent, is mind-boggling. It doesn't help that most of the performances were dry - as if the cast conceded early on that this will never be anything more than a B-rated film. I guess some of the blame can be shifted to the directors, Zeke and Simon Hawkins. While they do an excellent job capturing the gritty feel of rural Texas, they don't do so well with directing the cast. Dialogue between characters is also pretty horrible. Often, a character will start rambling on with some parable that takes up entirely too much time; guess the writers intended for these stories to be awe-inspiring but they only leave the viewer confused. Little of these heart-to-heart chats actually tie in well with what's going on in Bad Turn Worse, which actually ends with a references back to one of these little parables/speeches (or whatever the writer wants to call them) that happened early in the film. Let me tell you, it wasn't an effective strategy. Anyway, I give it a 4 out of 10 because I think the plot, though strange, was overall pretty good. With some cleaning up of the script and better directing/acting, Bad Turn Worse could have been a winner. Oh, and maybe had they gave it a better name, too...

I seldom write reviews - especially about forgettable films, but I can't understand why every prior review for this film is either so adulating or lambasting. I thought the film wasn't that bad, but it's not all that great either.It's not a nonstop adventure like "30 Minutes or Less." Its pacing is more like that of "Near Dark" or "A Simple Plan." And the pacing very fits well with the story and its setting.The script was pretty well-thought out and well-written, if not exactly moving or memorable. The direction and cinematography were excellent. They used the flat, bland, decaying Texas coastal plains marvelously - kind of like John Ford used to use the American west. When the film is over, you may forget the characters, but you'll remember the scenery.Mark Pellegrino has fun with his role as a charming and self-wise sociopath. William Devane makes the most of his minute on camera.Mackenzie Davis affects more of a middle Tennessee accent than a south Texas accent but at least she tried. Logan Huffman sounds just like Bruno Kirby and somebody apparently thought he would be more believable as a Texan if he simply called everybody "Hoss" or "Podner." I doubt that annoys anybody outside of Texas (I see most of this movies rave reviews came from Canada, Scotland and Ireland) but sure annoys the hell out of people who know better.But my biggest complaint, however, is that I haven't heard so many racial insults since "Django." Again, maybe this is the stereotypical Texas that people elsewhere want to imagine, but people in south Texas haven't spoken like that since the '40s or '50s. There's so much intermingling of ethnicities in that area that to think or speak like that would offend the overwhelming majority of ones' family and friends.Now granted, fictional stories deserve a wide latitude for artistic license, and people involved in nefarious activities can be offensive and without conscience. But so much of the characterization was simply cartoonish and ultimately I think that undermined the film.

The film opens with a quick and easy robbery. Then come the bright-yellow seventies-style credits. However do not be fooled, whilst film-quality may also suggest a seventies setting, the only other similarity with that era, is a brooding foreboding and grim realism.The film is set in modern-day Texas. Earlier scenes are light but as the film progresses grimmer and grittier adult scenes make this uncomfortable viewing that goes right up to the edge. This is not a film for the faint-hearted.The story revolves around three young adults who are caught up in the aftermath of the robbery. They become involved in the criminal underworld and the situation soon escalates.This film is a modern film-noir so as is typical for the genre there are lots of twists and betrayals. Some plot twists are shown to us the audience before they are experienced by the characters, thus giving suspense, others are not.Mark Pellegrino has a meaty role, rather like that of James Franco in 'Homefront' (2013) or even 'Tommy' in 'Goodfellas' (1990). The younger Logan Huffman plays a character like 'Tommy' in 'The Butterfly Effect' (2004). Both convince in their roles. Mr Pellegrino's character is cold, even while he pretends to be friendly and playful. Mr Huffman's character by contrast is a brooding presence. His mental machinations and robust physique make him intimidating and scarily unpredictable.Mackenzie Davis and Jeremy Allen White play two college-student-types who get caught up in the mayhem. The two young thespians act their socks off as they struggle in the situations their characters are plunged into.There is also good support from Jon Gries. Veteran actor William Devane, in a cameo, got it just right, and shows, as he did in 'Marathon Man' (1976), that a small role can be played to make an effective and lasting impression.The film was directed by Simon and Zeke Hawkins. They captured great scenes of the flat Texas landscape as well as taking scary and tense scenes to the very limit of the audience's endurance. They should be rightly proud of this full-length film. Hopefully, we will see many more films from this talented pair in the future.If you liked the 2012 films 'Mud' and 'Everybody Has a Plan', or the 2013 films 'Cold Comes the Night', 'The Counsellor', 'Love Is the Perfect Crime' or 'Homefront', then this similarly dark film-noir will appeal to you.A grim and gritty 9/10 but a strong stomach is needed.