The Quarry product reviews

Directed and written by Scott Teems, with Andrew Brotzman sharing the screenwriter credits, The Quarry is a film adaptation based upon the novel of the same name by Damon Galgut, with a change in happenstance from a pursuit across rural South Africa, to a meander through a rural backwater town in the Southern States of America.

The change in location works well with a more recognisable brand; White Male vs Mexican racism. The Quarry is by all definitions a slow and measured piece, that attempts to build stakes in this cat-and-mouse story, through character development and racial drama rather than fast-paced action sequences. With exceptional acting performances from the mouse, Shea Whigham, and the unknowing cat, Michael Shannon, The Quarry manages to hook you into the story despite underutilized characters and little development of the population outside of the main cast.

Shea Whigham is credited simply as "The Man", and is a dangerous man with a complicated past, at wit's end, with no plan in place, simply ignoring obstacles until collision is imminent. Seeking an escape, The Man finds himself in the role of an English-speaking church minister, in an area that primarily does not speak English. His foil comes in the form of Police Chief Moore, whose racism is so overt that he refers to those he is meant to protect as "bugs" and "mud" to be swept off of the streets.

In what should have been a simple open-and-shut-case, Chief Moore's hatred and disdain for the non-white community allows The Man an opportunity to avoid punishment for his indiscretions and an opportunity for redemption, but at the cost of another. The Quarry attempts to open discussions around the positions of power that these two white men hold; as the towns head of Police and head of religious affairs, looking at the similarities and differences in how they use and abuse that power.

Chief Moore considers himself a representative of the law, but has no love for the people of his community, using them to satisfy his own needs as long as he can exert his power over them, unable to distinguish between a difference in class and skin colour. Somebody that yearned for the adoration that traditionally came with the role, but unwilling to provide the care and humility that generates it. The Man, on the other hand, finds himself in a role that he is literally unprepared for, and his ignorance in the material is misconstrued as speaking without judgement, something that instantly earns him a positive reputation with the oppressed community. Both men, operating under a false identity in one way or another, walk side-by-side as the film progresses, unwittingly separating one plot into two, as a consequence of cynical racism.

In the same way that an empty room allows a buyer to imagine the room filled with their own belongings, the preacher's ignorance forms a monotonous sermon that his congregants are able to imbue with their own meaning and interpretation, while at the same time allowing the preacher a moment to contemplate his own position and history. Consequence, guilt, and forgiveness are the crux of The Quarry, but with a truncated 98-minute runtime, proper development of the community that would be necessary to effectively increase the stakes is unable to occur. Even the main cast find their character's complicated pasts are teased and alluded too, but never fully fleshed out

The only character that understands the reality of both men, is that of Valentin (played by Bobby Soto). The player that should be able to easily change the course of the plot, but is held back by metaphorical and literal chains, achieves the poignant purpose of reminding the audience that the law doesnâ ™t always serve those who need it the most.

Visually, the environments are beautiful, with minimal yet effective set designs. Michael Shannon and Shea Whigham bring weight to their performances, which form an enticing element to the film. It isn't enough to carry the final act, but everything leading up to it is more than enough to warrant a viewing.