Violent Ends

A war breaks out between two sides of a drug cartel family after the fiancé of a peace-seeking member is murdered by the other side.

This thriller tragedy starts slow and ends with a bang. The story is a cross between Romeo and Juliet and Scarface, which is self-explanatory. There is some action, but it's the thrills, suspense, and twists that make the movie truly captivating. The one hour and fifty-two-minute runtime is longer than necessary to tell this story, resulting in parts that are slow-paced. For a unique story, this is a solid tragedy to watch, either in your local theater or when it becomes available on a streaming service.

Great acting, horrible filmmaking. I mean what a convoluted mess with so many plot and technical issues. My big complaint is who's related to who in what way and how and what business side are they on?

Writer and director John-Michael Powell had good intentions, and was only sucessfull in directing his cast properly, as all actors performances were excellent. But telling the story via screenplay and directing was a huge failure. It was overly frustrating trying to keep up with who's who and what role do they play. Such a missed opportunity had a little more effort gone into the filmmaking.

It's a generous 5/10 all going to the cast.

When the movie started, I was thinking it was a solid 7. The production was excellent, the acting was excellent, and the story captures you. By the end of it, it was a solid 8+. It's definitely worth your time and money to see it in the theater.

It's gritty, and it pulls no punches. It isn't violent for violence sake, or for shock effect. The violence is believable, and a necessary part of the narrative. The description doesn't do it justice.

If you're looking for a gritty, well produced, pull no punches movie, this is one to see. It's an interesting, captivating story. It's not a thriller, there are no laughs, it's just a good drama, and very well told story.

If you like 90's Oozarks movies with realistic acting of the savage, cutthroat peoples of these places, then you will like this movie. Where families rule, and not the Law. Similar to Winter's Bone.

While Billy Magnussen gives a solid performance (much more serious than hes used to), its James Badge Dale that stands out. His Oscar worthy performance of charisma and intimidation will make you forget he was "dressed to invade Poland" in The Departed. He sure has come a long way since then. And while his performance will no doubt be overlooked, Im really glad I got to see it. Havent seen a performance like that from a newer movie in quite some time. I truely felt fear while his character was on the screen, and thats so rare for me while watching a movie.

The directing was great too Its shot really well, which is what made me want to watch it in the first place. It's a tad predictable, but I didn't mind. I loved the subtle foreshadowing throughout the movie as well.

While Violent Ends does feel like its missing that special something to make it truly stand out, its a very solid movie, and I highly recommend it if you like these types of movies. For General Audiences and todays ADHD kids.... not so much.

I'm very glad I watched it. Years ago, I wouldve rated this a solid 7.5/10, but in terms of todays awful movies, Ima bump it up to a 9/10.

Money is thicker then blood in the film Violent Ends. The Frost brothers may have once been farmers, but the money they now bring in and the power they wield in the Ozarks, through drug dealing, is immense. There's absolutely no love lost between the brothers Frost, Ray (Matt Riedy), Walt (Ray McKinnon) and Donny (Bruce McKinnon). Generations of resentment runs deep and they have no problem blowing away a cousin for saying the wrong thing, or gifting a niece with a poisonous snake. It's all a means to a violent end.

Lucas (Billy Magnussen) wants out of the family business. He's just gotten engaged to his love, Emma (Alexandra Shipp), and is leaving town with her, to start clean somewhere else. She's far above his station and he can't believe his luck; he adores her. Lucas' father, Ray, is in prison for drug dealing. He tells his father that he's going to be relocating with his fiance', and his father spits in his face with anger. Lucas' older half-brother, Tuck (Nick Stahl), is down on his luck and is having money trouble. Tuck is married, with a young daughter. Both Tuck and his wife really like Emma. Lucas's mother, Darlene (Kate Burton) is the town's sheriff, and has been cleaning up the family issues her entire life. She's desperately trying to push her sons, especially Lucas, to not end up like the senior male family members.

However, in Violent Ends, none of the Frosts are able to escape their fates or elude their violent nature. And when things go wrong, Frost family weapons explode, painting the run-down town with buckets of blood.

Magnussen carries the film so well. Every scene feels authentic. What I found a little distracting, initially, was Lucas's wardrobe. He wore the same ripped jeans the entire film. Yet afterward, I could see how these wardrobe choices help viewers understand that everything happened in a very compressed amount of time, possibly 48 hours, since he never changed his pants.

You'll also appreciate the casting of iconic faces you'll recognize from streaming or movies, even if you don't know their names. Jared Bankens, who plays Walt's son, looks so much like a younger Ray McKinnon, it's freaky! Loved the score, it really helped to underline the emotion and move the action along.

The film is extremely violent, and following the familial relationships was a little tricky - I had to create a family tree to keep it straight. And I was not prepared for the final twist! Tightly written and directed by John-Michael Powell, it's just been released in theaters. Violent Ends deserves to find its audience.