TEXAS KILLING FIELDS, another "inspired by true events" follows Detective Souder (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his partner Detective Heigh, a transplanted NYC cop (Sam Worthington) who are looking for a local serial killer who is brutally killing females and dumping their bodies in a near by creepy looking marsh that the locals call "the killing fields".
Detective Souder plays a sort of father figure to one of the local girls "Anne" played by Chloë Grace Moretz who runs the streets to stay away from her abusive mother (Sheryl Lee) who is the town whore. So, besides the two detectives looking for this serial killer who begins teasing them by giving them hints to help find him they continue try and help young Anne from her mother's junky life style and the carousel of men she keeps in her life.
As the movie goes along there becomes several suspects and the job for the detectives gets even more complicated as more bodies continue to pop up and ultimately Anne becomes the killer's next victim. The detectives race against time and ends up saving Anne who has also been dropped off in the fields. As the story begins to quickly wrap itself up the killer finally reveals himself in a standoff with Detective Souder. The end comes very quickly in a tragic fashion leaving the viewer wanting a little more.
Director Ami Canaan Mann really does tell this story well. The setting is very dark and moody which really helps with what is going on here. Her camera captures the brutal nature and the dark scenery of the story and takes the viewer along for the ride in this thriller. The story is good but the movie itself has a few flaws. It drags along in some scenes and some of the characters aren't really introduced properly which gets a little sloppy. The movie also seems to wrap itself up pretty fast which was kind of a drag as it felt like it was missing something. The three definite standouts in Texas Killing Fields are its three leads who all pull off a great performance that helps make the movie better than what it could have been. Worthington makes his character his own and is very intense and even sometimes overdoes it just a little. Morgan plays the Detective with a heart and is actually the heart and soul of the movie and Moretz, like any of her other performances does a great job,
Bottom line, I enjoyed Texas Killing Fields but it does have its flaws. It's a good thriller that's worth checking out so go rent it when it hits Blu-ray on January 31st. 3/5
Studio: Anchor Bay
Run Time: 105 Minutes
Rated: R
Special Features: Needed more!
- Audio Commentary Featuring Director Ami Canaan Mann and Writer Donald F. Ferrarone
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