Barn Burning

Tommy Lee Jones plays Snopes with real attitude- pride mixed with evil. Shawn Whittington is excellent as the son who is conflicted- he no longer wants to be his father's accomplice in the acts of revenge. He wants to stick with his blood but he knows that the way his father handles the problems is wrong. The women in the movie stay in the background. This is a good adaptation of the Faulkner story.

I love William Faulkner and "Barn Burning" holds a special place in my heart. But, even a Horton Foote adaption can't save this film or even the fact that Tommy Lee Jones is a study in restrained rage, a sociopath, as always, a joy to watch. But, he is surrounded by actors who seem to have been chosen by lottery from a pool of folks who've never acted before. Their halting and unnatural speech, spouting the most outrageous accents is only surpassed by the dirgelike cadence. Sometimes I felt like someone off screen was poking the cast with long sticks to remind them its their turn to speak. Add to that the ridiculous (and again badly paced) reactions. The film moves like molasses ... not a good thing. I was a monumentally disappointed.

A young Tommy Lee Jones stars in this short subject production of Barn Burning based on a William Faulkner short story. The film was shot in Faulkner country in Mississippi.

Jones is a sharecropper and an abusive man to his wife and kids. When the planter whom he crops with has a carpet damaged he sues Jones for damage.

These folks are the quintessence of rural poverty not the proverbial pot to do number one in.

Jones feels he's being taken advantage of. But he's got plans.

Jones is great with the mark of stardom on him. The rest of the cast made of local players considerably less so.

For Tommy Lee Jones fans.

"Barn Burning" is a short film based on William Faulker's short story by the same name. Faulker grew up in rural Mississippi, so it's not surprising the story is set there.

The story begins with an impromptu court which is being held in the general store. Ab Snopes (Tommy Lee Jones) is accused of burning someone's barn...something he denies as does his son. The locals know he did it but cannot prove it, so he's acquitted but told to leave town.

One Ab arrives in another town where he's supposed to tenant farm, he seems to go out of his way to annoy the owner of the plantation. The butler tells Ab to wipe his shoes before coming inside, as his shoes are covered in muck and there's an expensive rug on the floor. He pushes in anyway and walks over the rug! Not surprisingly, the homeowner is furious and tells him he must clean the rug. Of course, Ab won't do it and tells his wife and daughter to clean it. But they cannot get it clean...and so the man tells Ab he now owes him 20 bushels to corn to pay for the damage. Another impromptu court reduces the fine to 10 bushels. Of course, Ab intends to pay nothing...and he's heading for a fall.

The story is well made. The acting is good. But the story itself is pretty unpleasant. So you have to ask yourself "do I mind an unpleasant story?"...if so, look elsewhere. If you love Faulkner and short stories, then by all means watch.

By the way, some very politically correct types might blanch at Ab using the N-word. However, I think it's important to help show what sort of man he is...the lowest in society who STILL manages to look down on blacks. He also looks down on pretty much anyone...particularly rich folks, who he thinks deserve his wrath!