As the film opens, we see a man
who’s been tied to a chair and beaten, yet who retains something of an
attitude, telling the woman in the shadows that she is going to pay for what
she did. The woman, Jo (Elyse Price), is unfazed by his threat, of course, in
part probably because of the joint she’s smoking. She offers the man a bit of
pop psychology as she pulls a pistol from under her red dress and loads it,
taunting him and calling herself a “demon
queen” before shooting him. The opening credit sequence is cool, the
artwork giving it a stylish flavor. That sort of artwork, however, is used
throughout the film, where it feels more like a gimmick than a necessary
ingredient.
We then are introduced to
Linda, a bar owner who is late on her payment to the gangsters, and so soon
receives a visit from them. Sam Barone, the main bad guy of the group, appears
in black and white, which feels like another gimmick. Also, his name appears on
screen, and his sidekicks are likewise identified. We’ve seen that sort of
thing in other films, of course. And the villains seem a bit goofy, like posers
rather than truly dangerous men. It is a bit of style over substance, yes, but
not enough to pull me out of the story. This scene, however, is there only to
establish the bad guys and their tactics, for Linda plays no further part in
the story. We return to Jo’s world, seeing her having breakfast with her three
children at home, her thoughts clearly elsewhere. Pickings, by the way, is the
name of the pub that she runs with her oldest daughter, Scarlet (Katie Vincent,
who also did the music for the film), and it isn’t long before two men show up
there to shake her down for money, frightening Scarlet in the process. It is
after closing, and I have to wonder why Scarlet didn’t simply lock the door. Jo
isn’t one to be threatened, and something within her has awakened, and, with a
bit of help from her brother Boone (Joel Bernard), she eliminates the threat.
This leads us back to the film’s opening scene. It also, of course, raises the
ire of the crime boss, who is a stereotype, seated in the shadows, smoking a
cigar. And we know Jo’s troubles are only beginning.
Elyse Price gives an excellent
performance as Jo. She’s sexy and cool, but even more exciting to watch in her
vulnerable moments, like, for example, when her young son tells her he was
watching on the monitor when she shot one of the villains. The fear and concern
on her face, and the way she just nods her head a bit before finding her voice
to answer his question “They were bad
guys, right?” is so effective at drawing us to her, making us care about
her. The film also boasts some intriguing shots, like when Jo calls her sister,
and half of each woman’s face fills the screen, her sister’s face then obscured
by blurry drops of water until Jo hangs up without speaking. Another cool shot
is when Scarlet is talking to her brother outside, and in the background and
out of focus a figure comes rushing up behind them. The most effective and
moving scenes for me are those between Jo and Scarlet.
Where the film loses me is –
and forgive me, but there is no way to talk about this without giving away a
key plot point – when the villains murder Jo’s son and kidnap Scarlet. If it
had just been the kidnaping, it would be believable and exciting. But once a
child is murdered, nothing feels right about any of the remaining characters’
behavior. I mean, this is the point where the police would become involved,
regardless of Jo’s wish to keep her past a secret. In fact, for the rest of the
film all I am thinking about is what Jo has done with her son’s body. Where is
it? If she hasn’t called the police, what has she done with the body? And in a
reverse shot, we see how close the neighbors’ houses are. Wouldn’t a murder in
the front yard in the daytime have caused alarm among the neighbors? There is
actually a lot of gun play in this movie, and no police ever show up. Like I
said, if it had just been the kidnaping, the rest would be believable. But the
movie went a step too far. I think Jo would have gone completely mad at the
death of her son, and wouldn’t have been able to put a revenge plan into play as she
does. Also, did the criminals really think she was going to do business with
them after they killed her son? It’s completely unbelievable.
But the film is still worth
watching, in large part because of the performances of Elyse Price and Katie
Vincent. I love watching the changes that Scarlet goes through as the film
progresses.
Special Features
The Blu-ray contains several
bonus features, including a commentary track by writer/director/producer Usher
Morgan. He talks about the locations, the look of the film, and the choices he
made with regards to shots. He does explain his reasons for presenting the
character of Sam in black and white, and he does talk about the influence of Kill Bill on the film. Interestingly,
once he gets a shot the way he wants it, he does another take allowing the
actors to improvise some dialogue. And some of that ended up in the film. The commentary
track isn’t listed in the special features menu, but I accessed it by playing
the film and pressing the “audio” button.
There are also two deleted
scenes, the first being more with Jimmy tied to the chair, begging to be let go
and also making more threats. The second deleted scene is Scarlet performing a
song at the bar, while one of the villains enters. A short promotional behind-the-scenes
featurette is also included, as well as the music video for Katie Vincent’s song,
“The Way It Goes.” The special features also include “The Mop,” which is a
scene created for the fake movie playing on the television during an early sequence
in the film.
Pickings was written and directed by Usher Morgan, and was released
on Blu-ray on August 10, 2018.
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