Two Step

I didn't know much about this before seeing it, and perhaps that's why it surprised me in some of its plot developments. In retrospective, it all makes sense from the start in terms of what it is aiming for, but I guess for some reason I didn't see it. The performances here are quite good, and the two main male actors do a fine job of really driving a line between them in terns of their portrayals, as well as thematically making the whole thing work. The best performer here is probably Beth Broderick though, who honestly looks like she hasn't aged one bit in about twenty years. She looks fantastic compared to her time in Sabrina. She brings such a natural presence here to her character and brings a lot of weight to the proceedings.

I wanted to like this movie so I stuck with it. I'm glad I did. I have an appreciation for ultra low budget movies that spring forth from a passion for filmmaking rather than an urge to create a vehicle designed to generate money and fame. There are hundreds of little movies that never get seen because the filmmakers try to emulate a formula that works well for huge budget Hollywood motion pictures but not for movies produced with tiny budgets. In the case of Two Step the effort is right on the money so to speak. It's a movie about regular people dealing with difficult circumstances.

Two Step largely suffers from regional filmmaking disorder. Audiences can't put their finger on it but they know that it's out of sync with what they're used to watching. In spite of all the terrific elements that make up this movie, something doesn't quite click. The script is serviceable. The performances are competent and sincere. The lighting, camera work and production design are seamless add gravity to every scene. The direction is low-key to a fault. I enjoy the languid pace and slow burn approach but contemporary audiences generally don't. I wish the characters would've moved around a bit during conversational scenes but the director chose the default position of putting his actors in a sit- down to do the talking.

Skye Moore is endearing as the kid in jeopardy unfortunately he's nothing more than a prop for a big chunk of the movie. James Landry Hébert is fairly convincing as the villain. His initial motivations are clear and his brutal behavior is obviously born out of desperation. But his descent into total depravity and the horrible acts he commits are not compatible with the character of the petty thief that we meet at the beginning of the movie. The narrative just doesn't bear it out. If he suffers from the dementia of a tortured, maniacal inner life, there's absolutely no hint of it on screen.

All of this criticism doesn't offer the impression of any kind of recommendation. However, there are good things about this movie. If you understand the limitations regional, indie filmmaking and you want to see a movie with no pretension, that has a good look, clean audio, good performances and an intermittently compelling story, give it a try.

In this Texas thriller we follow the character of James, a college dropout with no family, and Webb, a con who just got released from prison and has a debt to pay. The film starts off with James(Skyy Moore) coming home from college to come to his grandma's house to find her in the middle of a stroke and eventually die in the hospital. James meets with his grandmother's lawyer (Brady Coleman), who tells him that he has $85,000 of inheritance money and his grandmother's house and belongings. What can possibly go wrong? While at the same time Webb(James Landry Hébert), is released from prison and heads home to find his girlfriend Amy(Ashley Spillers), leave him and runs off with his $50,000. At the same time the neighbor next-door Dot(Beth Broderick), who teaches the 'two step' to school kids befriends James. Webb is met by his "boss" Duane(Jason Douglas), and finds out that he owes him $10,000 because Duane's been looking out for Webb while he was in prison. With a steep debt to pay Webb decides to do what he does best to get the money he owes. And so these two characters (Webb and James) intersect in each others lives that will change their lives forever.

"Two Step" is the directorial debut of Texas native Alex R. Johnson. The film premiered at the SXSW 2014 Film Festival, where it was met with positive critical acclaim. Sadly the film had a very minimal theatrical release in the middle of 2015, and will most likely not come out on DVD, or Blu-ray. It's a shame that the film didn't get the distribution that it deserved since it proved to be one of the best films of the year. (In my opinion it's my #1 film of 2015) Most people have never heard of this film due to the lack of distribution it had; I was fortunate enough to have amazon prime and was able to see this masterpiece and share it with my loving mother.

"Two Step" in my words is "Fargo in Texas", and I don't think I'm far off. You can see that Johnson was definitely inspired by the Coen Brothers , because it has that Coen Brothers vibe to it from the characters to the humor and to the violence. All the acting in the movie is amazing, there's no dull performance, or moment in the film. James Landry Hébert, as Webb, completely sold me, he had without a doubt the best performance of the entire film. Skyy Moore gives a boasting performance as James, and Jason Douglass (who's on The Walking Dead) gives a great performance as a gas n' go manager and part time criminal.

"Two Step" is a gripping movie that has you on the edge of your seat wondering what can possibly happen next. All the actors in the film are not major league actors which I love and I can't wait to see what they'll do next, especially Hébert. Alex R. Johnson is a new talent to look out for in the future and I can't wait to see what he'll do next. If you have amazon prime definitely check out "Two Step", it will be worth your while.

I totally agree with what said the other comment, where it was said that this story with so many sub characters, with no real lead one, looks like a modern TV show scheme. Very weird indeed, especially for a so short film, ninety minutes. Not bad at all. Typical indie B flick. Good characters away from clichés. The ugly guy, released from jail, is absolutely terrific, so cruel, calm, and in some other scenes, so smooth and moving; you could nearly feel empathy for him. I have rarely seen such a "delightful", because ambivalent bad guy on screen. Just enjoy.

This film reminds me of Fargo (the series), Justified (the best ever) and an amalgam of some of my other favorite series - Boardwalk Empire, 24, Breaking Bad, Mad Men & The Affair. It's a good movie, but would be a much better series. The rules of this post require 10 lines, so I will repeat this. This film reminds me of Fargo (the series), Justified (the best ever)and an amalgam of some of my other favorite series - Boardwalk Empire,24, Breaking Bad, Mad Men & The Affair.This film reminds me of Fargo (the series), Justified (the best ever)and an amalgam of some of my other favorite series - Boardwalk Empire, 24, Breaking Bad, Mad Men & The Affair.This film reminds me of Fargo (the series), Justified (the best ever)and an amalgam of some of my other favorite series - Boardwalk Empire,24, Breaking Bad, Mad Men & The Affair.