Shimmer Lake

"Shimmer Lake" is a very enjoyable dark comedy from Netflix.

The story of a bank robbery is told backwards. When I started watching it, I thought it looked cheap. I don't think it cost a fortune. It concerns the local sheriff and his attempts to bring three bank robbers to justice - one of whom is his brother. The story goes in reverse day by day as we meet the different participants.

I thought the dialogue was funny, the actors were fine, and while it will remind some people of Fargo, it's no Fargo though it is good. And I loved the way it was wrapped up at the end.

Clever, funny, Netflix has redeemed itself after that awful thing Handsome.

No spoilers here.

Like Memento, it's written to be watched twice. The writing is tight and smart, nothing is wasted, though that might not register until the second time through.

Both bleak and comic, it is a genuine mystery, in that clues and red herrings are carefully planted throughout, with a big reveal at the end that is genuinely surprising. The storytelling architecture is very satisfying.

You are not emotionally invested in any of the characters. This is by design, the structure pretty much guarantees it, and it's a good thing.

Though it works backwards, it goes day-by-day, not sequence by sequence, so while you are kept engaged in figuring out what's going on and who's who, it's easy enough keep track, you're never at sea. There's plenty to enjoy the first time through, but much of the early content, and many of the "jokes" -- it's very dark, but they are a kind of jokes-- only hit on second viewing.

It's a new kind of thing, straight to streaming, the cinematic equivalent of a straight-to-paperback noir. Made cheaply enough that neither the cinematography nor the acting seek to wow you (though they do get the job done) so it's not like a movie. But it's not like TV either, it's not looking for ratings, it doesn't have to go big-hit-or-die, it doesn't need a sponsor, it can be its own thing, the story they wanted to tell, everything's in there they wanted, nothing is in there they didn't want.

I liked it a lot. I probably wouldn't have watched it again, but there were special circumstances, and I'm really glad I did.

I'm not sure why this film is considered a crime-drama. It is really a dark comedy and mystery told in reverse chronological order. It's certainly not a serious crime-drama at all. Unlike most comedies of this sort that make local police look like the buffoons and the FBI agents the serious crime fighters. This film spins things around by making the FBI the buffoons. The exception is the sheriff's sidekick who doesn't seem to get a chance to sit shotgun with his partner in the squad car. Almost always relegated to the back seat.

I thought it was creative and funny.

Although you don't have a character with short time memory loss, the story is told in pieces and starts in "current time", to move backwards, day by day. An obvious choice, since this makes the movie a little bit more interesting and gives it an edge, it would not have otherwise. After I finished it, I did rewind and check some scenes. There were subtle hints for things to come or rather things that happened.

Still it is not above complete scrutiny and some may even say it is too clever for its own good. Nit-picking aside, if you like decent thrillers that keep you guessing with decent actors and decent acting in it, I can recommend this movie to you. Even with the warning signs, there are certain things that will surprise you. Whether you agree with the "morals" of the movie or not. And whether you accept some "coincidences" or not, is up to you ...

In conclusion, I highly recommend this movie. The End.

And thirdly, the script was clever. The writer did not just start spitting out ideas on a whim. He actually took time to ensure the plot had no holes, and it was just brilliantly made! Good job!

Secondly, the actors did an amazing job in fulfilling their roles. It's nice to have Dwight Schrute and the Office Space guy.

Firstly, this is not a rip off of Memento or Pulp Fiction. It's got its own originality.

To start my review, I just wanted to say that I thought this movie was cleverly made.