Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy are two names that don’t necessarily take residence in the front of our collective brains, but I am definitely intrigued by them after watching “Blow the Man Down.” Both having been in the entertainment industry for a number of years (the latter having production work on “Cowboys vs. Aliens” on her resume) but limited directorial experience, they are bringing back the concept of film noir with a fresh coat of paint with this independent film currently being featured by Amazon.
There is a limited cast here, as this tale takes place in a small Maine fishing town where Priscilla (Sophie Lowe) and Mary Beth Connolly (Morgan Saylor) have just lost their mother. As the town gathers to mourn one of their own, the sisters’ own issues start to work towards a fever pitch. Lowe on money and trying to keep the family fish market business afloat, things get more complicated when Mary Beth gets involved with the wrong man at a bar one night with dark consequences. As Priscilla becomes an accomplice, they go to great lengths to cover up what they have done while at the same time, their mother’s death sets forth a series of events that could tear their town apart, affecting each and every one of them.
The thing that tends to wrap independent films like this in a knot is when they to put some star power in them, which ends up weighing things down instead of telling the stories. The good news here is that even with the addition of names like Annette O’Toole, June Squibb, and the great Margo Martindale, this story still holds its own while these veteran actors get to ply their craft in order for the emotional punch to still be there. This is also one of those scripts (written by the directors) that is really hard to go to deeply into so as to not give away too much, and I am totally alright with that. I have always been a fan of this genre, and with Krudy and Savage Cole’s ability to tell their story without the gore or ultra-violence that some rely on, that just makes “Blow the Man Down” that much more effective in its presentation. To set everything up, there IS one scene that gets a bit intense, but it is just graphic enough to get its message across.
Given the situation we all find ourselves in right now, the fact that outlets like Amazon are putting out new material for the public to be able to take in is one of the things I think will help all of us get through, and “Blow the Man Down” is one which, although needs to be seen after the young ones go to bed, that can help pass the time in a quality and engaging way.