Barron's Cove

I was surprised how much I liked this film considering how over used and predictable many of the scenes and situations were in this new action thriller. The sometimes over the top the performances are often powerfully emotional and the cast particularly the lead are fully committed to the point where it is hard to come away unshaken and deeply moved, they overcome many derivative tropes of the genre. On the surface it is a revenge story but peeling back the layers there is a lot of dark human condition explored here and this combination I have not often seen before.

It never quite knocks it out of the park and it has more than a few weak spots but has some stand out memorable moments and explores a lot of uncomfortable subjects and emotions. If you like your thriller black with no sugar this dark brooding world conjured here is for you. I consider this a point above average, seven from me.

This entire movie is just endless cliche after cliche.

Every beat is something we seen before.

Every beat in an order we heard before.

It tries really hard to have some sort of redemption arc but it all falls flat.

Everyone is corrupt and none of them are held accountable. We are treated to a vast conspiracy. With conspirators that are so morally bankrupt they will turn a blind eye to e child abuse.

And at no point is it clear why the vast majority of these people are participating. We're just supposed to accept it as if this takes place in some fantasy world where people are terrible by default.

Unless you're watching this to follow some particular person's career arc, there is no reason not to skip this one.

Evan Ari Kelman's Barron's Cove is a haunting, slow-burn thriller that delves into grief, vengeance, and the cyclical nature of violence. Garrett Hedlund delivers a raw performance as Caleb, a father shattered by his son's tragic death. Convinced of a cover-up, he kidnaps Ethan (Christian Convery), the boy he believes responsible, igniting a tense manhunt led by Ethan's powerful father, Senator Lyle (Hamish Linklater). The film's strength lies in its moral ambiguity and the evolving bond between Caleb and Ethan, both scarred by trauma. Kelman's direction is confident, with Matthew Jensen's cinematography capturing the bleakness and fleeting hope. The film's emotional depth and thematic complexity make it a compelling watch. Truly a can't miss. Barron's Cove is a poignant exploration of loss and the desperate search for redemption.

Barron's Cove is worth watching if you like a crime/drama with a touch of vengeance. Garrett Hedlund plays the devastated father, on a mission to discover the truth about his kid's death. Christian Convery plays the kid you want to hate, a totally different character as in Sweet Tooth, a series where he played the boy everyone loved. At his young age he's been in several good movies so a promising acting future is laying ahead of him. Overall good acting from the entire cast, a gripping story that is easy to follow. A decent movie in this genre.

Tragedy strikes with kids around the railroad tracks. Caleb Faulkner (Garret Hedlund) is angry to find his son killed. His ex Jackie (Brittany Snow) blames him. He blames the other kid Ethan and kidnaps the boy. Lyle Chambers (Hamish Linklater) is the Ethan's well-connected adoptive father. To add insult to the death, the police chief, Lyle's longtime friend, claims the boy committed suicide.

Lyle would never hold back torturing the truth out of Ethan especially after the kid's psycho behavior. When Ethan reveals his bruises, Caleb needs to be an expert and recognize that they are old injuries. Otherwise, Caleb would assume that they are recently manufactured for sympathy. Ethan's transformation is too vast and too abrupt. He needs to be less in the first half so that his change can be set up for the second half. The movie is trying to generate sympathy for Ethan which gets muddied. I do like the central theme of father figures. I also love the pulpy crime thriller element. I just can't ride the whipsaw of symaphetic intentions.