by Mike Schoonveld:
PLOT:
Cold Rock, Washington was once a thriving mining town, until the mine closed, leaving families poor and with no prospects. The dire situation becomes much more worse when children are being abducted by a mysterious entity known only as “The Tall Man”, a name given to him by the townspeople.
Julia Denning (Jessica Biel) is the towns nurse, tending the free clinic alone since the death of her doctor husband. She is skeptical of the “Tall Man” legend until she is awakened one night to find her young son, David (Jakob Davies), abducted by a hooded figure. As she frantically tries to find her son, federal investigator Lieutenant Dodd (Stephen McHattie) tries to crack the case of the missing children, uncover the truth and expose the legend of the “Tall Man”, along with Sheriff Chestnut (William B. Davis), who appears to know more than he is letting on.
Directed and written by Pascal Laugier (Martyrs), The Tall Man is an intense thriller delivering plot twists and turns, that’ll keep you guessing until the end.
REVIEW:
Pascal Laugier, director of the superbly shocking Martyrs, delivers the goods in this well written, well directed and well acted film. Fans expecting a gore filled fright fest may be turned off by a movie of this nature, as there is no gore at all. It’s a spooky thriller, starting off as something supernatural and turning it on its head with a deep plot twist. Laugier is on his game, creating a story that grips you the moment you start to watch it. Opening with the statistics of the number of missing children that occurs in the United States will send a chill down your spine. It’s a frightening reality that he captures just in the first minute.
Jessica Biel (TV’s 7th Heave, Blade: Trinity, Stealth) delivers one of her greatest, if not her best, performances as Julia Denning. She takes on a complicated, multi-dimensional role, dealing with heavy problems and seems to be the only person in town who cares about the children. As the towns only nurse and confidante, she creates a vulnerability that makes you care about her, and her son David, played by Jakob Davies. When he is abducted, she will stop at nothing to find him. You believe her plight, you feel her pain and agony, a mother’s nightmare of losing a child. Her scene halfway through the film, involving her hanging on to the back of The Tall Man‘s truck, is an intense nail biter.
Supporting Biel are Stephen McHattie (300, 2012, A History of Violence, TV’s Haven) as Lt. Dodd, and William B. Davis, probably best known as “The Cigarette Smoking Man” (TV’s The X-Files). Dodd is a federal agent hell bent on cracking the mystery of the missing children. He doesn’t believe the whispers of the Tall Man and sets out to prove it. I’ll admit, an actor of his caliber should have been used a little bit more in this film. His presence is mesmerizing and commands authority on the screen. Davis plays Cold Rock’s Sheriff Chestnut. From the moment you meet him, you are convinced that he knows more than the he willing to admit.
Jodelle Ferland plays Jenny, the film’s narrator and the daughter to abusive, trailer-dwelling parents, who may have some special insight to the mystery.
THE FINAL WORD:
Setting The Tall Man in a Northern mountain town gives the film that visual quality of a nightmarish fairy tale about missing children who go into the dark woods. I liked how Laugier doesn’t go for straight forward scares. His interest is creating tension throughout the investigation of who The Tall Man is, and what his purpose might be. The answers are unpredictable, and when they are revealed, the film goes from a ghost story and turning it into a social commentary about concerns for the welfare of children. It’s an unpredictable moment that will stun or shock you. And thanks to the brilliant performance from Biel and crew, The Tall Man is a must see for anyone looking for a good, plot twisting thriller.
The Tall Man is available on VOD, and hits DVD/Blu-Ray September 25th.
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Mike is a newly appointed contributor to DarkMedia. Covering mainly movies, there’s nothing that gets his blood going like a good horror film, old and new. When he’s not writing or watching horror, you can find him catching re-runs of television shows like I Love Lucy, The Simpsons, and Reba, among many. Last year, Mike was able to flex his writing muscles by submitting a screenplay to the Shriekfest Film and Screenplay festival where he was a finalist for “Best Feature Screenplay.” While he didn’t win, that hasn’t stopped him from pushing forward to establish a screenwriting career in horror. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @horrorguy30, Stage32.com and you can check out his blog at horrorguy30.blogspot.com.
Mike is currently working on two scripts: Slicer: The Sauk County Massacre (formerly titled Hell Weekend) and The Haunting of Willow Falls Manor.
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