Two Step (2015)

Purely Joyful Movie!

Not even bad in a good way

Excellent, a Must See

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

I didn't know much about this before seeing it, and perhaps that's why it surprised me in some of its plot developments. In retrospective, it all makes sense from the start in terms of what it is aiming for, but I guess for some reason I didn't see it. The performances here are quite good, and the two main male actors do a fine job of really driving a line between them in terns of their portrayals, as well as thematically making the whole thing work. The best performer here is probably Beth Broderick though, who honestly looks like she hasn't aged one bit in about twenty years. She looks fantastic compared to her time in Sabrina. She brings such a natural presence here to her character and brings a lot of weight to the proceedings.

I wanted to like this movie so I stuck with it. I'm glad I did. I have an appreciation for ultra low budget movies that spring forth from a passion for filmmaking rather than an urge to create a vehicle designed to generate money and fame. There are hundreds of little movies that never get seen because the filmmakers try to emulate a formula that works well for huge budget Hollywood motion pictures but not for movies produced with tiny budgets. In the case of Two Step the effort is right on the money so to speak. It's a movie about regular people dealing with difficult circumstances.Two Step largely suffers from regional filmmaking disorder. Audiences can't put their finger on it but they know that it's out of sync with what they're used to watching. In spite of all the terrific elements that make up this movie, something doesn't quite click. The script is serviceable. The performances are competent and sincere. The lighting, camera work and production design are seamless add gravity to every scene. The direction is low-key to a fault. I enjoy the languid pace and slow burn approach but contemporary audiences generally don't. I wish the characters would've moved around a bit during conversational scenes but the director chose the default position of putting his actors in a sit- down to do the talking.Skye Moore is endearing as the kid in jeopardy unfortunately he's nothing more than a prop for a big chunk of the movie. James Landry Hébert is fairly convincing as the villain. His initial motivations are clear and his brutal behavior is obviously born out of desperation. But his descent into total depravity and the horrible acts he commits are not compatible with the character of the petty thief that we meet at the beginning of the movie. The narrative just doesn't bear it out. If he suffers from the dementia of a tortured, maniacal inner life, there's absolutely no hint of it on screen.All of this criticism doesn't offer the impression of any kind of recommendation. However, there are good things about this movie. If you understand the limitations regional, indie filmmaking and you want to see a movie with no pretension, that has a good look, clean audio, good performances and an intermittently compelling story, give it a try.

This film reminds me of Fargo (the series), Justified (the best ever) and an amalgam of some of my other favorite series - Boardwalk Empire, 24, Breaking Bad, Mad Men & The Affair. It's a good movie, but would be a much better series. The rules of this post require 10 lines, so I will repeat this. This film reminds me of Fargo (the series), Justified (the best ever)and an amalgam of some of my other favorite series - Boardwalk Empire,24, Breaking Bad, Mad Men & The Affair.This film reminds me of Fargo (the series), Justified (the best ever)and an amalgam of some of my other favorite series - Boardwalk Empire, 24, Breaking Bad, Mad Men & The Affair.This film reminds me of Fargo (the series), Justified (the best ever)and an amalgam of some of my other favorite series - Boardwalk Empire,24, Breaking Bad, Mad Men & The Affair.

Two Step's narrative, actors, sound, and cinematography all deliver exceedingly well, in this fantastic thriller, drama, action, low budgeted film. These factors get better and better as the movie progresses. The characters remain memorable, the gun shots remain memorable, and the suspenseful guitar theme remains memorable. Most action thrillers are predictable, but the way Two Step's plot progressives leaves the suspense hanging throughout the entire film.I would have given the film a 9 if not for the dialogue and acting that lacked in parts of the beginning. However, this did not decrease the quality of the exposition, as it was told very creatively, focusing mainly on visuals and actions from both James, the protagonist, and Webb, the antagonist.The movie is violent, suspenseful, and very mature, not appropriate for ages below 11 or 12.