Lack of good storyline.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The film is shot in a diner (the Copal Grill) in a small town called Silver Lake, where the lake has dried up some years back. Jimmie is the manager/owner/cook, Noreen is the waitress on duty during the film, Dixon is the man passing through from a conference to his home in Brooklyn. Lonnie is one of the local cops; Hank sort of lives at the diner. Doe blows in after the group heard the story of a family of four getting murdered in a nearby town. He immediately gets on Noreen's case, and pisses Jimmie off.Lonnie is one of the dullest tools in the shed, and he does not pick up on Doe being a possible problem. Noreen convinces him to talk to the man. He does. Doe leaves, then comes back with a fully loaded multi-shot shotgun. He kills Lonnie and Jimmie immediately for the insults.Noreen, John, Hank, and the two teen-aged kids are stuck in the diner with Doe. For a short while, Doe seems to have everything under control, but then Greene walks into the diner. Greene brings money to pay 'Mr. Smith' for the job completed. Greene tries to walk out, but Doe informs him that he is not Smith. Of course, we've already met Smith; we just have to find out who it is.Greene attempts to bargain with Doe. That does not work. Turns out it was a real estate deal that Greene wanted to complete to avoid vengeance from loan sharks. To cure his problem, Greene hires an enforcer to convince the farmer to sell his land. So the enforcer did the murders of the family that the diner heard about earlier.Do we discover who the enforcer is? Does anyone escape from Doe?-----Scores-----Cinematography: 7/10 Iffy at best, but the lighting in diners does suck.Sound: 9/10 Pretty good; all the actors were well-miked.Acting: 9/10 Good. I liked Madsen, Busey, Benson, Perrineau, and Gage quite well. Trejo's part was small, but he was good for the spot.Screenplay: 8/10 Nicely done.

Horrible acting by lead actress, Amber Benson, as a put upon waitress of a diner that finds itself taken over by a gun-toting criminal. (not to mention Lew Temple who is just as atrocious as an over eager Keystone-esque cop) And while I didn't particularly care for writer/director Mark Young's startlingly mediocre previous film, "Tooth and Nail" (which I also reviewed by the way), it's still a better film than this one. Strictly stemming from the fact that that film possessed a modicum of atmosphere, something which this movie sadly lacks. No tension and the fact that I couldn't emphasis with any of the characters. So with utterly no emotional investment the film becomes stale and tedious long before it limps to it's ending.

Some real bad acting, lots of cheesy lines and situations (especially the ending) - but it's all delivered in a way that you feel like you're watching a small play, and it just manages to let you kick back and see where the story goes. You're simply watching a movie, finding out what happens next. It's a very basic and "by the books" film experience, and it seems to know it.What really saves it is nearly perfect pacing and editing.It won't impress you, but it won't drive you nuts. "It's just a movie." That phrase actually fits this film really, really well.6/10

Entertaining movie. Pressure cooker thriller. In theory the movie has all the ingredients of Reservoir dogs. Gritty storyline and a cast that includes Michael Madsen and Danny Trejo. But the movie falls short... Madsen is brilliant as always and Harold Perrineau delivers a good performance, but they are unable to make-up for Amber Benson's disappointment. Danny Trejo has a total of two minutes of screen time, and he is never shown fully (he is shown through a kitchen window)... Noreen, the central character played by Amber Benson, was the weakest link. Also, the pressure is let out a bit too prematurely... In all, a movie that has potential, but fails. That said, for a direct-to-DVD movie, this is very good. It is not an excellent movie, but a decent one at the very least. If you have nothing else to do, this might be a decent pastime movie.