Arkansas

Arkansas is the kind of film that feels normal to catch on Video On Demand.  What I mean by is that the film appears suited for a small yet strong word-of-mouth release, causing people like me to make sure it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle once it gets a digital home. It’s a directorial debut that seems to owe a great deal to early Coen Brothers, and it has a cast that, while not A-List or even B-List, is strong enough to warrant excitement if they’re used properly.  In normal times, Arkansas would have been a welcome diversion from major blockbusters; in this new world, it’s an even better diversion, because simply…it’s well done.

Arkansas, written by Andrew Boonkrong and Clarke Duke (who stars and also makes his directorial debut), is based on the novel of the same name by John Brandon.   The film’s narrative is split up into several chapters.  It begins by introducing us to Kyle Ribb (Liam Hemsworth), a drug dealer working for a man only known as Frog (Vince Vaugn). He’s “promoted” to Arkansas to move wholesale with the really talkative and extremely overconfident Swin Horn (Duke). While trucking product to Corpus Christi, they meet a ranger who offers to help. When Kyle points a gun at him, the Ranger (John Malkovich), named Bright, reveals that he works for Frog, and that both Kyle and Swin are going to work under him at the local park. They’re assigned trailers to live in on the park-grounds near Bright’s very spacious house, and are ordered to keep a low profile.  Something goes wrong by the end of the film’s first chapter – what happens isn’t truly Kyle and Swin’s fault, but consequences in the drug-running world tend to only have one outcome.  Because they can’t run or hide, they choose to continue as they were, hoping things work themselves out.

By the time this opening chapter ended, the film was roughly a quarter of the way through, and it had gotten me invested in both Kyle and Swin.  At first I thought they’d be the typical odd couple – one obnoxious and cowardly; the other stoic and tough.  And while that’s somewhat true, there’s also enough wrinkles in their personalities and choices that things feel fresh.  Some will see it as derivative of the Coen Brothers, specifically Blood Simple, but I didn’t think about the Coens’ once while watching Arkansas.  I was enjoying it.

Then the film moves onto “Chapter 2,” which isn’t a continuation of what came before, but a flashback to show us how Frog rose up the ranks to become the boss he is during the film’s present day.  It’s a strong change of pace, elongates the narrative’s overall story, and provides us a reason to respect the film’s potential antagonist.  Once this chapter ends, Vaughn’s Frog seems to not only be a formidable foe, but one to appreciate.  Once the film switches gears back to the present, it allows for every turn in the plot to become another moment to be endeared to characters you already have a level of fondness for.  And from there to its conclusion, the film rings true to its nature.  I suppose certain things could be avoided if Kyle and Swin are just upfront about everything, but there’s enough reason to believe it isn’t worth the risk.  Suffice to say, I was entertained until the end.

Liam Hemsworth hasn’t broke out like his brother, but here he shows the possibility to go down the Robert Pattinson route if he works with the right people.  Clarke Duke plays Swin with a mix of Paul Dano and Robert Downey Jr., never letting his character get too annoying.  Swin forms a romantic relationship in the film with a local named Johnna (Eden Brolin), and though they appear as opposites, Duke and Brolin work really well together.  Brolin’s character, like the rest, has just enough oddities to give the actor a chance to make an impact.  Vince Vaughn continues his recent stretch of really good Vince Vaughn performances.  If you liked the actor in season 2 of True Detective and Dragged Across Concrete, you’ll enjoy him in this.  There’s also two solid veteran performances from Malkovich and Michael Kenneth Williams, allowing the film to transition into its second and third act.

While the screenplay may make people think things are too similar to the Coen Brothers, the direction by Duke is really sharp.  He’s able to create an atmosphere where a conversation can turn into a stand-off, and back again.  Allowing the film to have a great sense of tension undercut by character-based humor.  And the visuals display a muggy and open-aired Southern underworld.  Clean and dirty all at once.  I’m not sure I loved the way everything wrapped up, but that may have to do with how much I cared for the characters.

Even if there were still blockbusters playing in theaters, Arkansas would have been a gem worth finding.

Grade: A-