LaRoy, Texas

LaRoy, a backwater in Texas that smells slightly of the Coens, but don't look for the famous directing duo this time. Shane Atkinson comes through with a strong feature debut, where you can see the inspiration from other black-humor crime films, but his own voice doesn't waver in the process, as he holds his script firmly in hand. I found myself while watching it just waiting for the comedy-crime to get unleashed, only that nothing like that happens. There are no dead ends or dragging. On the contrary, there are elements of a novel buddy movie with an original neo-western ending. Maybe that's why this first feature was nodded by a bunch of quality actors who often only play sidekicks for Hollywood stars, but whose faces you remember damn well (Steve Zahn, John Magaro and especially Dylan Baker). (24/10/2023)