You'll hear the name Jim Thompson referred to often in the Texas crime thriller, Bad Turn Worse. The famous Oklahoma-born novelist known for his gritty, hard boiled works of pulp fiction is clearly the inspiration for screenwriter Dutch Southern (!!!) and his tale of small-town larceny gone wrong. In fact, he ambitiously quotes the author in the film's opening sequence: “There are thirty-two ways to write a story, and I’ve used every one, but there is only one plot – things are not as they seem.” While that would have you guessing Bad Turn Worse is a film with lofty aspirations and many crooked swerves, the film is merely another solid addition to an overdone genre.
The mechanics of Bad Turn Worse, directed by Simon & Zeke Hawkins, are recognizably dusty and dark, with allusions to economic hardship and dreams of escape. The performances by the lead foursome are what will resonate long after the end credits roll. Mackenzie Davis, who has been phenomenal in every film she's been part of (Breathe In, What If) does equally great work as Sue, who along with her boyfriend B.J.'s (Logan Huffman) best friend Bobby (Jeremy Allen White) are due to leave their small Texas hometown for college. When we first meet them they're engaged in a banal but slightly humorous conversation over the term "biscuits and gravy" if there is in fact only one biscuit. It's the kind of Tarantino-esque back 'n forth that is engaging up to a point, then becomes tiresome as it drags on. Here is also when the aforementioned Thompson quote emerges, mentioned in passing by the highly intellectual Sue, who clearly relates to Bobby on a level that she can't with the untamed (read: dumb) B.J.
It's B.J. who gets them in a mess that only Jim Thompson could love. With his two closest friends leaving in a few days, BJ enlists them for one final weekend bash, spending loads of cash that he claims to have been saving. The truth is that he stole it from Giff (Mark Pellegrino), a mid-level thug working for a major gangster known as Big Red (William Devane). When Giff finds out, he's understandably pissed, and behind a thin veneer of threats orders them to steal from Big Red to get the money back. In the film's best, most Thompson-esque scene, Sue and Bobby try to enlist the authorities to get out of the jam in their in. Let's just say the cops aren't always too fond of running afoul of the local crime lords, and the sheriff's attempts to admit that without truly admitting it are hilarious. Basically, Sue and Bobby are stuck, and when B.J. starts to get suspicious about the closeness of their friendship it adds a level of sustained tension that is both compelling and believable.The colorfully-named Dutch Southern (how is he not a pro wrestler with that name?) paints a vivid portrait of small-town hopelessness, captured in the heavy burden carried by the three young leads. Bobby is a smart kid who sees his hometown for the depressing black hole that it is, but isn't fully capable of escaping its many pitfalls. We can see instantly why he'd fall for someone like Sue, who is beautiful, smart, and knows what she wants out of life. At the same time it's hard not to sympathize with B.J., the guy who knows he's destined to stay forever in the same place he's always been. Sue becomes the prized jewel between both men, who eye her for very different reasons. Southern's character work is fantastic, but the plot is so thin it can barely sustain the brief 90-minute runtime. Economy of story is oftentimes a good thing in these kinds of thrillers but there has to be some kind of spine to support it, and there is little to find here. It doesn't help that Pellegrino's villain errs too far on the comical side rather than the psychotically menacing. Davis is tremendous yet again, and at this point it's fair to say no other young actress does tough yet vulnerable better than her. Bad Turn Worse doesn't quite live up to the Jim Thompson aspirations, but fortunately it doesn't live up to its title, either.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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