Meskada (2010)

Let's be realistic.

A Disappointing Continuation

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Didn't expect much as I caught Meskada while channel surfing on a rainy Saturday, but it hooked me from the start and I was enormously entertained for 2 hours. Very good hard-boiled detective story. Not a mystery or a whodunit as the story presents both sides simultaneously - the detectives and the criminals. I love stories where the bad guys are three-dimensional and fully developed characters and that was the best part of this film. The ending may be dissatisfying to some, but I loved it. Things are left a little messy, just like real life. Added bonus - the music is great. The subplot of the victim's mother being an influential town council member was brilliant. Perfectly plausible.

The reason i give it a 8 is because i liked the movie and i think it is worth watching.. i really like how the ending was, although some people don't like open ended endings but when i watch a movie i want it to be like "real" and life isn't perfect not all things happen like they're supposed to, so watch it! i think you will like it....and if you don't? you can write a review..I don't want to give the story away but basically a little boy gets murdered. At first, your thinking is it the mother? Is it the father?The main character is the guy who did terminator 3. Not the young kid..the dude that was cast beside Claire Daines. Yeah him, but he did a good job i thought. A little to laid back at times but i guess thats him. This was a good role, so it didn't matter who played it. His partner was new to me, she kinda looked like a young Jodi Foster, pretty cute, she also did a good job acting. Well, its their job to find suspects in a clueless murder scene, which is a tough task to begin with and with their good wits they get on the right track and begin to figure things out, but you know it ain't easy dealing with small town citizens....especially these...they're town is victim to this bad economy and it seems if they aren't gonna get help they are in no mood to help these pushy detectives.

Good movie, great cast! Easy to watch, very enjoyable. If you are a fan of any of the cast members in this movie then it is a definite must see. Also, this is one of Grace Gummer's, Meryl Streep's daughter, first movies and I am sure we will be seeing many more films from her in years to come. Add in Norman Reedus "Boondock Saints", Rachel Nichols "G.I. Joe" "Criminal Minds", Kellan Lutz "Twilight", Nick Stahl "Terminator 3", and James McCaffrey "Rescue Me" and you have a movie that you will want in your collection for a long time! The movie is set in a small town in the United States and focuses on the struggles and separations of class. When a young boy is found murdered an investigation ensues and things between the townspeople become heated. I think there were some great performances by the actors/ actresses in this movie. The film has some great talent that has been around for awhile and some newer stars that will be around for a long time. Written and directed by Josh Sternfeld "Winter Solstice".

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