{SPOILER ALERT} This HBO movie came out about five years ago. It's too bad because it probably would have done pretty well in theaters considering the cast. There are a lot of recognizable faces here, but hang on, let me go through the plot real fast.
Jesse, is a struggling musician who moved to Los Angeles from his hometown of Galveston, Texas. Sometime during the seven years he was there, he became a heroin addict. One night he comes up dry and while looking for a quick fix, he stumbles onto two men (one being Dwight Yoakem) arguing over a botched drug deal. He steals a briefcase containing $300,000 and decides that he's going back to Galveston to straighten his life out.
When word works it's way back to Marshall (Billy Bob Thornton in a real Badass role) that a good chunk of his money has been ripped off, he and his cronies start a trek through L.A. looking for Jesse. It's clear that Jesse really doesn't have a clue just how over his head he is. These are some hard-asses who could care less about life. All they want is what's theirs. They're looking everywhere for Jesse, visiting his hangouts, and even killing off some of his friends.
Meanwhile, Jesse's in Galveston. He's staying with his two best friends who are doing their best to ween him off the heroin. When they question his money, he says that it all came from a lucky night in Vegas.
It's pretty obvious from the get-go what's going to happen and how things are going to turn out. We know that the baddies will eventually find their way to Galveston to kick Jesse's ass, and this would be fine. Jesse is a wholly unsympathetic (but somehow likeable) character. All of the real suspense comes from worrying about his totally innocent buddies who have made decent lives for themselves.
Even though the ending is somewhat predictable, it does not hurt the rest of the film. There is a lot of fun along the way. I had a blast seeing Billy Bob in a part like this. It reminded me a lot of his character in "One False Move". He looked NOTHING like he does today and he was about forty or fifty pounds heavier then, I'd say.
Dwight Yoakem is disposed of pretty early. It was funny seeing Billy Bob giving HIM a hard time after it being "vice versa" in Sling Blade.
Eric Stoltz (Lance from "Pulp Fiction") does fine here. The man is a very talanted actor and the part of Jesse seems tailor made for him. He is very convincing as the failed musician who unintentionally brings trouble with him.
Jesse, is a struggling musician who moved to Los Angeles from his hometown of Galveston, Texas. Sometime during the seven years he was there, he became a heroin addict. One night he comes up dry and while looking for a quick fix, he stumbles onto two men (one being Dwight Yoakem) arguing over a botched drug deal. He steals a briefcase containing $300,000 and decides that he's going back to Galveston to straighten his life out.
When word works it's way back to Marshall (Billy Bob Thornton in a real Badass role) that a good chunk of his money has been ripped off, he and his cronies start a trek through L.A. looking for Jesse. It's clear that Jesse really doesn't have a clue just how over his head he is. These are some hard-asses who could care less about life. All they want is what's theirs. They're looking everywhere for Jesse, visiting his hangouts, and even killing off some of his friends.
Meanwhile, Jesse's in Galveston. He's staying with his two best friends who are doing their best to ween him off the heroin. When they question his money, he says that it all came from a lucky night in Vegas.
It's pretty obvious from the get-go what's going to happen and how things are going to turn out. We know that the baddies will eventually find their way to Galveston to kick Jesse's ass, and this would be fine. Jesse is a wholly unsympathetic (but somehow likeable) character. All of the real suspense comes from worrying about his totally innocent buddies who have made decent lives for themselves.
Even though the ending is somewhat predictable, it does not hurt the rest of the film. There is a lot of fun along the way. I had a blast seeing Billy Bob in a part like this. It reminded me a lot of his character in "One False Move". He looked NOTHING like he does today and he was about forty or fifty pounds heavier then, I'd say.
Dwight Yoakem is disposed of pretty early. It was funny seeing Billy Bob giving HIM a hard time after it being "vice versa" in Sling Blade.
Eric Stoltz (Lance from "Pulp Fiction") does fine here. The man is a very talanted actor and the part of Jesse seems tailor made for him. He is very convincing as the failed musician who unintentionally brings trouble with him.