A guy named Cade voice over narrates to us about his dead dad while heading back to his home town of Civility, AZ for the funeral. Of course we soon discover that dad's suicide was a murder and that everyone in town all suspicious acting. There is a reading of the last will, killings, a throw away love interest, twists, interested parties, etc.
The film wants to be part of the 90s cool crime/violence genre which requires gun toting characters to discus random cultural points between shootings. This is also the supposed excuse for William Forsythe to be dressed as a plantation owner and carry a parasol. The worst thing about watching a movie like this one is that you've already seen all the good movies it is longing to be and you can't help but kill it with the comparison.
My subject line is one of the many weak lines from Cavaricci's bland script. Black and white flashbacks of the father in life are just an introduction to all the painful reminders that this was directed by a lightweight of a first time director. On top of this are a few hundred poorly framed shots and bad cuts. There's a scene where our hero walks into a bar (that might have actually been someone's house) where a stripper dances in front of the fire exit to see random old girlfriend who stares at him just long enough for me to doubt whether she'd forgotten a line before (surprise!) punching him in the face. Tom Arnold merely exists in this movie, completely subdued, and although he usually annoys me I couldn't help but think his usual ad libbed comedy would have added some much needed entertainment value to this picture.
The DVD I saw it on was titled "Malicious Intent" which is cheesy, but better than "Civility". The film comes complete with (3) performances by real actors in supporting roles, including the under-appreciated Clarence Williams III. Brad Segal provides a disposable score which drones uninterestingly alongside dully recorded dialog. The film is equally disposable and I probably never would have rented it if my job at Hollywood Video didn't provide free rentals.
