“Some secrets are better left buried,” the film’s tagline reads. Perhaps Don McKay (Thomas Haden Church) should’ve been warned of this. But then there wouldn’t have been a movie, eh? Don McKay, the noir thriller from first-time director Jake Goldberger, has hit Blu-Ray and DVD. The film never got a wide release in theaters, leaving cinephiles wondering just what this Thomas Haden Church-driven vehicle was all about? It offered an intriguing premise, some well-known actors but little interest. Now that it is on DVD and Blu-Ray, people will finally have the chance to see for themselves just who Don McKay is.
In short, McKay is a high school janitor living a lonely and solitary life. One day he receives a letter from his high school sweetheart Sonny (Elisabeth Shue). She wants Don to come back home, a place he hasn’t been back to in 25 years. Don, not having anything else going for him, travels back to see Sonny.
As soon as he arrives, things are just a little off. It seems everyone isn’t being completely honest with him. Like Don, the audience doesn’t exactly know what to make of the situation. Don, of course, wants to set the record straight.
For the most part, Don McKay is a pretty solid film. The performances here are all very strong. Church is a dependable actor, one who almost always turns in a solid performance. As the lead, the veteran character actor gives an honest performance as he emits his confusion off the screen and right into the audience.
Shue, a vastly underused-yet-always-great actress, reminds us of her talents here. She creates nice chemistry with Church and it’s clear she’s having a good time. She overacts the part a bit during certain scenes, but overall she carries her character through to the sloppy ending.
Joining Shue is another great actress, Melissa Leo, who is having a blast in her role as probably the most mysterious character in the film. You never quite know what her motive is. Leo knows this, adding intrigue and mystery to the character. Another treat in the cast is the brilliant character actor Keith David. Although he has probably the smallest role out of the main cast, he is equally as good as any of them and offers a terrific effort with the material he’s been given.
The actors are the ones to thank here. They maintain the suspense throughout the narrative. Unfortunately, the first two-thirds of the film are very strong, making the unfocused finale that much more distracting. Though the film be well-paced (every scene feels necessary and important to the whole) things start to fall apart near the end.
Instead of offering one amazing twist a la The Usual Suspects, the film tries to be clever and ends up being too clever for its own good; it offers two or three little twists that don’t really make a whole lot of sense. The motives behind the characters actions are never fully resolved and you are just left dumbfounded. The ending is over-written and poorly executed, never adding up to anything worthy of its first two acts.
The film has a very simple look but it does transfer over fairly well for the most part. Flesh tones look great and black levels aren’t a problem. Strong detail and a grain-less picture make the film easy on the eyes. Nothing’s particularly over-stylized but it still looks good. In fact, I think the image looks more realistic because it isn’t highly stylized. It offers a very natural and minimalistic look. Aside from the fact that the picture has some soft spots, a couple contrast issues here and there and the fact that nothing ever really stands out, not too much goes wrong with the video part of this Blu-Ray.
The sound of the dialogue is fine for the most part. Church does mumble a few of his lines, which don’t come out too clear, but it’s bearable. The score is appropriate and fits the feel of the film well. Overall, this is a low-key sound affair. There are a couple of scenes with gun shots and they ring out pretty well and fill the room. Atmospherics aren’t terribly abundant and the audio track, while solid, doesn’t really show off a whole lot.
The special features (like on most Blu-Rays these days) are completely forgettable. We get a trailer and some deleted scenes which aren’t even worth watching. We also get a commentary track which, for the most part, is pretty informative. Goldberger and producer James Young discuss the various aspects of making the film. They talk about moving from script to screen, some development issue and the like. It’s a well-constructed commentary and the two have a good rapport throughout.
Bottom Line: Don McKay is an entertaining film worth seeing at least once. However, the lack of special features and an ill-contrived third act do make it hard to recommend for purchase.
Movie – 6.5/10
Video – 7.5/10
Audio – 7.5/10
Extras – 5.5/10
Are you interested in watching Don McKay? Had you heard of it before this review?