One False Move ***1/2 (out of 5) (1991)

Cast: Bill Paxton, Cynda Williams, Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Beach, Jim Metzler

Directed by Carl Franklin


In Star City, Arkansas, a family is slaughtered along with a local drug dealer by a couple of unscrupulous thugs and a young woman who disagrees with their extremes but fears for her life. A couple of LAPD detectives arrive on the scene, which pleases the local police chief who is starstruck by the big city cops. Things become more complicated when feelings resurface between the woman and police chief from an even which happened over fours years before.

ONE FALSE MOVE is an engrossing small budget crime noir picture with impressive debuts all around, specifically by writer-costar Billy Bob Thornton. The main cast is quite good in their respective roles, especially considering Paxton is the only veteran actor in the lot. Director Franklin makes great use of a subdued score, and while he doesn't really handle the main shootout well, the dramatic scenes between the characters are very realistic and riveting, with a particularly disturbing scene of murders in the beginning. Who says you need a huge budget with superstars to make a good cop flick?


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