I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The greatest movie ever made..!

Excellent but underrated film

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I cannot quite get a handle on this film. It was interesting enough to keep me interested, but I am still not sure what I saw.Lucas Black (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Sling Blade) is ostensibly released from a mental institution - or was he? He meets Peter Coyote, who is a really strange guy with his hand in everything.He also has a hot wife in Mía Maestro (The Motorcycle Diaries, Frida) who has an affair with Black - or does she? People start dropping dead and it is difficult to figure out just who is doing the killing. Is it Black or is it Coyote or is it imagined? I just wish I knew what I have just seen.

I honestly fell for the trap that this movie sets up throughout the plot and the surprise ending. The problem I had with this surprise ending compared to other surprise endings is that when you see a surprise ending, it's supposed to make you think, "Well, that makes sense." This one does the exact opposite and the movie does a poor job in my opinion of setting up the surprise ending. This is unfortunate considering the acting was superior in every area. I couldn't help but think of "Fight Club" as they are running down the surprise ending. Parallel to what we were shown in the movie is a view of what "actually" happened. And as good as I think Lucas Black is as an actor, he doesn't even compare to Brad Pitt or Edward Norton at least not at this point in his career. Overall, a strange and diluted plot that does not fill two hours until you see what happens at the end at which point I was left a little wanting.

Nat (Black) is a stand up kid from his point of view. Which is about the only point of view during the entire movie. He is traveling to California to start over and build a life when he meets Finch (Coyote) and his very young wife Iris (Maestro) who run a hotel called Deepwater, among other side jobs, in rural America. Finch convinces Nat to stay and help fix up the place. Nat gets all sorts of ideas about the other characters. But in the end, everything is not as it appears for Nat. The psychological plot of the film is kept at bay while the seasoned acting keeps your attention over the length of the film. Some action aficionados would find it boring. I would classify it more as a drama than a thriller.

**SPOILER ALERT** After a stay at the hospital recovering from an ankle injury Nat Banyon, Lucas Back,goes on the road hitch-hiking to Wyoming to open up an ostrich farm. At some truckers rest stop bar Nat gets beaten up when he grabs a patron's hand who may have mistakenly thought that he was trying to proposition him. In the confusion Nat get a hold of the patron's car keys, that he accidentally dropped, and takes off with his sports car.Driving throughout the night Nat, struggling to say awake, spots an overturned car and saves the driver Herman Finch, Peter Coyote, just before his car was totaled by an oncoming truck. Finch very appreciative of what Nat did in saving his life gives the young man a job at his motel as an all-around handy-man. Later Finch get's Nat a car that he's to pay him back by the work he does at his place.Nothing really seems to be right with the movie as we get a number of sub-plots that makes an attempt to explain just what Finch is involved with. Finch comes across at first as a good natured and friendly person who's more then grateful at what Nat did for him but. At the same time we, and Nat, get this very disturbing insight about Finch that he's a local mobster who's involved in a number of unsolved murders that he uses surrogates to do his dirty and criminal work. Later we get to see some of Finch's friends a used car dealer Walnut, Michael Ironside, and Native American Joe Littlefield, John Boncore, who's being groomed by Finch to take over the management of a casino that he runs. there's also Finch's very young and attractive wife Iris, Mia Maestro, who works at her husbands motel as a cleaning woman.Very early in the movie we, and Nat, saw Finch get into a violent argument with Sal, Jason Cerboe, who later after being kicked out of a card game, between Finch Walnut and Littlefeet, disappears from sight and is found days later in the lake murdered. The same thing happens to local cop Newell, Brett Watson,who seemed to be on to Finch's sleazy activities and tried to warn Nat about him and his under the table dealings. Officer Newell is later found in the woods dead and decomposing with murder being the only reason for his sudden and untimely demise.Finch himself is about as weird as can be in his relations with Nat by moronically trying to get Nat in tip top shape for a boxing match with him? Nat with rippling muscles and his boxing skills razor sharpen by the hard and rigorous training routine, that he was put under by Finch himself, as well as being some 30 to 40 years younger then the out of shape and cigar chomping Finch would kill the crazy old nut in the ring with one hand tied behind his back! Had Finch already lost his mind and now want's to lose his marbles with a solid left hook to the temple as well?while were left in the dark to what exactly Finch is planning***MAJOR SPOILER*** we overlook what was the reason for Nat's interment in a medical facility and even more important is he fully recovered from the the illness or injury that he was there for?The movie sets you up for a real shock that, in many ways, it leaves clues to get you ready for it. The big fight between Nat and Finch is done in all seriousness with Nat completely falling for Finch's line but what Finch is totally unaware of is that Nat is a bit, that may be understated, abnormal and also has some kind of weird attachment to him. This makes you wonder about the strange bar scene early in the film, that's slowly driving Nat off the deep end and into the deep dark and dangerous waters of his subconscious and unbalanced mind.