By Shane Conto
What is the easiest way to sell a movie? If you have a single sentence hook for the film, you are definitely on the right track. Hell! Liam Neeson has a career now with “Taken with….” or “Taken in a…”. You always want to catch the audience’s attention with an intriguing combination of genres or films. How would you all react to a film that could be described as a Murder She Wrote done by the Coen Brothers? I know personally that anything like the Coen Brothers’ films would grab my attention right away. And a “Murder She Wrote-esque” would hit me right in the nostalgia of watching Angela Lansbury with my mom and grandmother. Why would I bring up such a strange example? Well you should check out the latest original film streaming on Amazon Prime Video and you will know exactly what I mean.
Blow the Man Down is a female centric mystery set in a little town on the ocean up in New England. They capture this aesthetic so well that they even have interludes of sea captains singing some sea chanties. How could you say no? The dynamic combination of writer-directors, Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, bring a distinct voice to this outing as you the audience get lost in this little fisherman town.
One of the more impressive aspects of Cole and Krudy’s film is the way they capture the feel of a small town.
You know what kind of town I mean? You have the same families living there for generations. Everyone of the same age knows each other from high school and hold long and tired grudges with each other. Then you have those outsiders who live their lives on the fringe of the town’s moral center. Check all those boxes and you have the town of Easter Cove (sounds like such a New England fishing town).
Our young protagonists, Priscilla and Mary Beth, find themselves on the wrong end of a dirty deed that they must then cover-up. The Coen Brother’s brand of sloppy and awkward criminal violence can be seen here as things begin to unravel and we dive deeper in the under-belly of Easter Cove with our two young ladies. Sophie Lowe and Morgan Saylor play the two with earnest as they capture the young energy of the protagonists but hold strong with the more mature nature of the film. Their mother passes before the start of the film which triggers the series of unfortunate events that lead them into the lap of Margo Martindale’s Enid. Speaking of Esteemed Character Actress Margo Martindale, she provides a powerful and complex supporting performance. Her presence alone steals each scene she is in as the former friend of our recently passed mother as well as the proprietor of the local brothel. The young Connolly girls’ path crosses with Enid’s and then the real intrigue ensues.
The tension is taut throughout the film as great scenes (including the initial dirty deed) fill the room with tension. The audience must navigate this twisting road of dark individuals along with the protagonists and this road is quite unexpected. Through all the tension from violent occurrences and loaded conversations between the three local matriarchs, our directors are able to interlace dark humor along the way. The dialogue is sharp and attention grabbing as the talking scenes are just as intriguing as the scenes filled with mystery. This mysterious story has enough plot-turns to keep the audience on their toes while also having something to say. The film might not have the most to say or hit the level of intrigue of such black comedies like Fargo, but this outing for Cole and Krudy is something to take notice of. There is much to see from these creators in the future. And remember, “And yardarm to yardarm away we did go!” Spend that time in isolation with the seedy small town of Blow the Man Down.