I'd rather give it a six-and-a-half stars out of ten. This movie builds our perceptions of of its central protagonist character into the image of a really bad man, perhaps with a violent past who is now seeking redemption after decades of guilt finally overwhelm him. Polished performances from Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek and Bill Cobbs really deserved a better ending to go out on. But much of the film is spent creating an aura around Felix and his mysterious past. So when the finale draws us to a close we are given a rather empty vessel of a man, who really isn't guilty of much more than the average person today. Throughout the movie you do feel yourself asking questions about your own life; things you did wrong or could have done better. And how each of us come about asking for forgiveness and trying to let go of the past. I think to this extent, the movie is a success. We can all see maybe a little bit of Felix in our own selves. But Duvall was so good in this role, I had probably hoped for a Clint Eastwood style badass man, wanting to finally admit his "atrocities" committed during an angry, volatile youth on the run. It's nothing of the sort. And this was the let-down for me. It just left me empty at the end. The movie is however, based loosely on the life of a real person. And prior to watching the movie I was unaware of this fact. It may have helped infinitely to have read about the man, Felix Bushaloo "Uncle Bush" Breazeale, prior to seeing the film. A six-and-a-half from me.
Review of Get Low
