Texas Killing Fields - Screaming Country - DVD

Movie: Texas cop Mike Souder (Sam Worthington) and his colleague Brian Heigh (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), transferred from New York to the Texas sticks, are once again called to the scene of a woman's body, apparently once again the work of a mysterious serial killer who disposes of his victims in the swamps surrounding Texas City, known by the locals only as The Killing Fields. How many women have already fallen victim to the killer cannot be said with certainty. What is clear is that something must finally be done to put the killer behind bars. Another lead opens up when police officer Pam Stall (Jessica Chastain), Mike's ex, asks for the two's help with a murder case that has a very similar pattern, but is outside their jurisdiction. While Mike insists on trying to solve the unsolved cases in his city, Brian now investigates outside the district time and time again. But when they receive a particularly grisly message from the killer, it's clear that he's long been playing a game with the cops - a game that could also put young Ann (Chloe Grace Moretz) in mortal danger...

Texas Killing Fields is a thriller loosely based on true events and directed with high ambitions by Ami Canaan Mann, daughter of legendary director Michael Mann. Good actors, atmospheric pictures, an inherently thrilling story, with all these ingredients she actually could have succeeded in making an excellent thriller with a high level of suspense. But unfortunately, this possibility can only be used to a limited extent.

Because even if the individual ingredients are right, especially the somewhat overloaded screenplay fails to coherently connect the various storylines. Because of this the movie not only loses a certain degree of suspense, but also some characters like Pam, who is actually well played by Jessica Chastain, remain too superficial. Even Ann, who is actually important for the course of the story and who is sovereignly embodied by up-and-coming actress Chloe Grace Moretz (Hugo Cabret, Kick-Ass), threatens to get lost in the somewhat overloaded events. The viewer is thus made it difficult to build up an emotional connection to the characters, which would have been of great importance especially for the last third.

What the thriller scores with, on the other hand, is the atmospheric swampland, which gives the film a very special touch purely visually. The director and her Oscar-nominated cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh (The Piano) have captured the filming locations in the New Orleans area in fascinatingly gloomy images, which at times create more tension than the first screenplay by writer Don Ferrarone manages to do. Especially since it becomes clear to the viewer quite quickly who the killer is, the script's suspense deficit becomes all the more intensely apparent.

Texas Killing Fields is far from being a bad film. The fine acting of the cast, most notably Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen), and the gritty atmosphere certainly give the thriller decent entertainment value. But since in some more intense scenes it becomes clear how good and exciting the whole thing could have been with a slightly better script, unfortunately a certain dissatisfaction remains in the end. Nevertheless: who likes atmospheric, well-acted thrillers and can see over some dramaturgical hangs, which can confidently venture on a trip to the Texas Killing Fields.

Picture + Sound: Visually, Ami Canaan Mann goes somewhat different ways than her father. But even with her thriller thrives on its atmosphere established by the imagery, which is also well accentuated on the DVD by a slightly alienated color scheme and a coherent overall sharpness. Despite some gunfire and car chases, the soundscape remains rather restrained. In the DTS mix, additional smaller ambient noises - especially in the swampland - provide the right atmosphere. Good!

Extras: For the test only the rental version of the DVD was available, which has only the trailer and other program tips of the provider as a bonus to offer. For the purchase version, additional B-Roll footage and some interviews are announced.<x><N</x>Conclusion: Texas Killing Fields is an atmospheric thriller that thrives on its ominous imagery and good actors, but struggles with some weaknesses in the script. But although this robs the story of some of its tension, fans of quieter US thrillers can definitely enjoy the new directorial effort by Michael Mann's daughter Ami. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp