Crime thrillers in the big city can work well because the reader feels the anonymity of being one of millions; danger can come from around any corner. Conversely, rural crime thrillers work best by showcasing the intimacy of a small town, where it may be easier to hide a crime, but nearly impossible to hide a secret.
I’ve long been obsessed with the crime genre, though most of my knowledge admittedly comes from film, so I thought I would break down 7 films that partially inspired my novel. All are rural mysteries or crime stories that take advantage of the “wide-open intimacy” of a small, tight-knit community.
Lone Star
Lone Star is a ‘90s rural crime drama spanning decades, as Buddy Deeds (Matthew McConaughey), a former resident of the small-town Frontera, Texas returns home to become the sheriff, following in the footsteps of his legendary father, Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper).
Settling back into his former hometown, Sam finds himself opposing the city’s attempt to name the courthouse after his father, with whom he had always had a contentious relationship, as well as renewing his relationship with a former almost-love-interest.
On a nearby Army base, the discovery of a human skeleton, a sheriff’s badge, and a pistol bullet on a rifle range lead to an investigation—one which threatens to unravel the legend of Sam’s father and possibly even the entire town.
Expertly blending elements of noir, western, & crime filmmaking, John Sayles adds to his catalog of great films with this textured slow-burn of a movie.
A Simple Plan
Two brothers—one a struggling feed-store owner (Bill Paxton), the other regarded by most in town as an idiot (Billy Bob Thornton)—along with a drunk friend (Brent Briscoe) head out hunting one afternoon in the rural farmlands of the upper Midwest.
While out in the wilderness, the trio happens upon a small crashed plane in the snowy woods. Inside the aircraft lies a dead body along with a substantial cash fortune that would change anyone’s life. Should they report it? Should they keep it? Could they even get away with keeping it?
The three then hatch a plan to hide the money and divide it up amongst themselves later, a plan that almost immediately goes off the rails, as each one is ultimately tested with their survival instincts up against their word.
Hints of Macbeth creep in before law enforcement and criminal types show up in town asking questions and looking for the plane. Relationships are tested in unimaginable ways before the tense climax that will leave you stunned.
Hell or High Water
Here’s another rural crime film that follows the adventures of two brothers (Chris Pine & Ben Foster, both in top form), each of whom followed different roads: one became a criminal and has recently gotten out of jail, the other stayed home to look after the family farm and their sick mother.
But after their mother’s death, they find themselves working together to save their family farm from predatory seizure by the bank. With no good legal means of acquiring enough money to pay off the bank, and believing the bank’s efforts to be exploitative and morally wrong, the pair decides to rob enough small-town Texas banks to buy back the farm.
Two sheriff’s officers are also chasing the bandits, one about to retire (Jeff Daniels) and the other his browbeaten-but-loyal partner (Gil Birmingham). Can they figure out the brothers’ next bank target in time to stop them?
Slow and gentle, powerful and punchy, this film will draw you in and make you care about all its characters before setting them all on a path to destruction.
Badlands
Terrence Mallick’s 1973 film debut is visually stunning. It’s gorgeous. It’s worth watching just for the visuals. The director’s notably methodical style may not be for everyone, but the visuals in his films are undeniable. There’s a reason Badlands is often cited as one of the most influential movies of all time.
Thankfully, in addition to pleasing the eyes, the story here is equally compelling, as a teenage girl (Sissy Spaceck) takes off on a crime spree with her 20-something lover (Martin Sheen).
It is loosely based on the real-life murder spree of Charles Starkweather and his girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, in 1958, though several differences exist between the two stories.
The film juxtaposes the sudden and extremely violent killings against the backdrop of the bucolic serenity of the American northwest, and eventually the Canadian southwest.
A feast for the eyes, Badlands offers a powerful glimpse inside the mind of the spree killer, and will hold onto you until the very end.
Logan
The final Wolverine-centric film starring Hugh Jackman is effectively a Western, as the titular hero moves from town to town trying to protect a young mutant and an old mutant from the shady mutant-hunting authorities on their trail.
While the film features impressive performances from Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman, as well as relative newcomer Dafne Keen, the story itself is what resonates most with fans, as Wolverine ultimately sacrifices his own interests to save the life of someone he has come to care about.
There’s an unexpected amount of heart and humor here, as Jackman allows Wolverine’s deterioration to show on the surface, infusing every action sequence and fight with the reminder that he is not healing as fast as he used to. It makes the character more vulnerable from a physical standpoint while also making him more relatable from an emotional standpoint.
Great camera work, solid pacing, and great performances throughout make this one of the best superhero movies ever made.
Breakdown
Breakdown is a crime thriller set in the Southwest United States, as a husband (Kurt Russell) and wife (Kathleen Quinlan) make a road trip from Boston to San Diego. A road rage incident leads to a personal confrontation between a trucker and the husband, Jeff. A short while later, Jeff’s car breaks down.
A friendly trucker appears and offers to take Jeff’s wife, Amy, to the next stop to make a phone call for a pick-up truck, and Jeff inexplicably agrees to this. And just as a side-note: you should never agree to this. This is all the red flags at once. And yet, I suppose they felt desperate, though I’m not sure why they didn’t both ride with the trucker to the next stop. But I digress
After Jeff realizes his battery connections have been loosened, he is able to fire up the Jeep and head for the diner where his wife was supposed to be. Only no one remembers her, including the trucker who picked her up.
Dancing between thriller and psychological suspense, the film manages to keep you guessing as you follow Jeff’s increasingly-dangerous journey to discover the truth about what happened to his wife.
Cape Fear
There are two film versions of Cape Fear, and both are outstanding. The 1962 version is more of a slow-building drama, with Robert Mitchum playing the psychopathic Max Cady as more of a smooth-talking charmer. In 1991, De Niro took the role to the other end of the spectrum with a wild-eyed killer with a flamboyant way of talking and behaving.
Set on the North Carolina coast, the 1991 film is set mostly at the home of Sam Bowden, Nick Nolte’s lawyer character, with a few scenes at the local school and throughout the nearby town. The entire climax is set along a storm-surging Cape Fear River. The sparse, isolated locations add to the feeling of dread and suspense throughout the picture.
Unsettling, violent, and startling, the film was rightfully nominated for multiple awards—including multiple acting nominations for De Niro and Juliette Lewis, and remains a standout in Scorsese’s filmmaking career.
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