User Reviews

Yes, it started out extremely slow and trust me, it didn't pick up. I almost turned it off about 20 minutes in but there was something about this film that made me stick with it a little longer. It's not a "whodunnit" by any stretch, they take care of that right away. But I was interested in the characters and the performances of the men. They were so relevant to today and the ongoing struggle in society over good v evil in whose eyes.

'The Quarry' is a prime example of style over substance. This is actually a beautifully shot and wonderfully acted film. Where it lets itself down is the story. The plot is so lacking in depth and creativity that it makes for an extremely long and dull 100 minute runtime. I kept hoping for some kind of twist or unexpected turn in the story that would add some life to the proceedings. Sadly, it never came.

The one thing that keeps the film watchable is the acting, and in particular Michael Shannon. The film gets off to a very slow and understated start and to be honest I wasn't sure if I was going to able to stay awake for the entire movie. Then Shannon was introduced to the film and suddenly things picked up a lot and became a lot more watchable. Part of the reason is that his character is the only one in the film that actually has any character, but the other part is just down to some very fine acting on Shannon's part.

The big problem with 'The Quarry' is that everything is on the surface, everything is known to the audience. There is no mystery or intrigue. The only thing we can wonder about is how the film will conclude, but the story isn't really interesting enough for us to care much about that either. One compliment I can give the film is that is doesn't outstay its welcome. I've seen films similar to this that like to push the two hour boundary and they become unbearable. Still though, I'm sorry to say 'The Quarry' was a pretty forgettable experience.

Shea Wigham's best role I think. I saw him first in True Detective and thought he was amazing, nothing short of tour de force! I think he also played a preacher in that one too. He just gets better and better. Michael Shannon is another tour de force type of actor. He's great as the sheriff. He can play any character and he's just a natural, I love his movies. The movie shifts into high gear and when it was over, I kept thinking "This style of movie mystery is like an old fashioned killer movie from the old days." It's just plain good and intriguing til the last minute. I absolutely loved the storyline, script, the acting was superb, especially Shea Wigham. His best acting performance I think. It had to have been someone with style and class bcz he took over a preacher's identity and preached to the parishioners. Simply amazing. The ending was intense as well. Do not miss it, take look at Shea Wighams performance. He might deserve an Oscar for this one, I'm not sure. He definitely nailed his character down amazingly.

I really wanted to like this movie, as I'm a big fan of Michael Shannon. Unfortunately it just drifted along, not really knowing what kind of story it wanted to tell. In the end I think the director just gave up on it, probably much like it's audience. I don't know how I got to the end.

While reading reviews on several movies these past weeks I noticed a common theme those who like the picture and analyze it ask why the poor reviews ??

My take on this is it's become like most everything else now if the movie is of an independent sort with issues one has to think about there are those who just don't want to get it I would say they need to be spoonfed but that's a little cynical Again it's extremes of the people who watch only Marvel or the superman Batman things if that's marvel I don't even know if they need the constant visual input then these movies will never please them they don't have the flash. On the other hand I'm not saying all independent films are good but this one was Michael Shannon is phenomenal and the rest of the cast was almost as good I personally just like movies where you have to think through them not necessarily flamboyantly "entertained"

Simple storyline Simple plotline Super slow movie.

Shea Whigham and Michael Shannon are at their world class best. In particular Whigham playing the conflicted criminal who assumes the identity of the cleric he murders. The story itself is a slow burner with some holes but the performance of the leads are captivating.

It looked promising. It got worse. This film had so much improbability to it that I muttered "They wouldn't have done that!" more than three dozen times. The "pastor" probably uttered 20 words the whole movie. Michael Shannon..well, he's always good and I wondered how he loaned himself out to this oinker. The same ones who produced "Narco" (fantastic!) must've been on drugs when they wrote/filmed/edited this one. Don't waste your time. (Oh, the burning house in the very beginning was cool.)

I haven't read the other reviews. I guess they're not great. But there's a lot going on in this movie that's probably lost on most.

I found it to be a powerful character study where each actor faces a moral dilemma. It moves along the line slowly, thoughtfully, deliberately.

The notions of ontology, of faith, of redemption, and of truth are just a few of the concepts pulled into the story.

I get it's not for everyone, but there's a lot to find if you look for it.

Start by assembling a bunch of stories/scenarios, cut them into pieces and reassemble in some random fashion. Clergy (background unknown) driving to a new congregation somewhere down south. Spots a body lying on the side of the road in an isolated barren landscape. Next scene that person is sitting in the clergy's van. His background is never really clear. This not too talkative stranger decides to become a preacher (Why? Makes no sense.) By the way talking is a job requirement. Oh, Spanish speaking is required which he doesn't speak. Our writers added an odd sheriff w/romance side show. Finally, more not explained or believable events occur the most absurd being the closing boat scene.

No idea why this film has got so many bad reviews! Thoroughly enjoyed this film from beginning to end. As a fan of Michael Shannon I was not disappointed, and Shea Whigham was just as good as co-lead. Nicely shot, well acted film. It is slow paced , but that doesn't mean that there wasn't anything happening. It was a nice slice of life kind of film. Totally baffled at the negative remarks!

Incredibly slow, boring, unbelievable, annoying, obvious, stereotypes, way too much back and forth between english and spanish etc etc.. just plain dumb.

The story is engaging because you see how one person's mistake affects the lives of others. The morality and also the irony in the story are remarkable, making the film thought provoking.

No mystery, no thriller only boring and dull movie without any climax. I had been more irritating to see dumb characters and nothing in the movie. Story of a man who kills a father and takes his place at a small town. Why ? answer only get in last scene of the movie, is this suspense ? And thrill ? There is no thrill at all in whole movie. Waste of time. Never to watch.

A while ago I was real happy to find out that She Whigham will have a leading role, something he truly deserves and rarely gets, and this time in a small town crime neo-noir, no less. And Michael Shannon co-leading? Now that's a recipe I could get excited for. I'm happy to report that the performances are the absolute standout factor of "The Quarry". The rest? Certainly effortful, genre-fitting and ambitious, but ultimately confused.

"The Quarry" is a an existentialist tale of guilt, wrapped up in all the known elements of a neo-noir, begging to be a Coen Brothers movie, but lighting a fuse too long for it only fizzle out at the end. However, it goes great before it gets worse. In the first half we meet Shea Whigham's drifter with heavy emotional burden on his shoulders who assumes the identity of a travelling preacher and takes his place at a small town's church. The character is in search of hope while being caught in continuous conflict with himself, full of heartbreak, and is one of the consistently effective elements of "The Quarry", showcasing a tremendous, authentic and felt-through performance by Shea Whigham. Michael Shannon plays the town's Chief, suspecting a foul play in the mystery of the town's new reverend, and is also the other most stable foundation of "The Quarry". The rest of the cast plays along equally well, in togetherness creating a decent portrait of a small town community. Problem is, the slow-burning story that's seemingly building up an exciting showdown, starts getting more and more tiring around the middle of it & in the end we get led to a much expected albeit decent conclusion, clothed up in all that's underwhelming. In other words, the filmmaker's intentions are not quite clear, and the movie, as elegant as it is, ends up being a pale imitation of many better movies. A commendable aspect of "The Quarry" is its design - it's photographed quite beautifully and is never really boring visually, while also being accompanied by Heather McIntosh's subtly and silently threatening original score.

"The Quarry" has such terrific performances and good aesthetical design that it's actually such a shame that story wound up as confused and unpolished as it did. I liked it, but it could've been so much better. Unrelated to my complaints, but it's funny how they sell it on the poster - "From a write of Narcos: Mexico". Well, he wrote a single episode. Despite all, the summary of this neo-noir, in my opinion, lands a mark above average, and might just contain of the best acting performances of Shea Whigham's career. My rating: 6/10.

This is a surprisingly good film. Found it by accident on the movie lists and watched it on the strength of the two lead actors who are reunited after their great work on Boardwalk Empire.

What we have is really a redemption story, and there have been various other films which have already covered similar arcs (including comedies). We have our lead who is on the run who (unintentionally) murders a fallen pastor on his way to be the new church elder in a small Texas town. Our lead steals his identity to become 'David Martin' but the darkness never ends. One crime leads to another and more sins, but our lead is in pain and somehow revitalises faith in his town's congregation, which is the fascinating part of the story. Its actually compelling.

It's a film that paces itself, and feels to me like a stage play on screen. It's very dark but has something to say. The redemption is not an easy walk, and you are uncomfortable at feeling empathy with a killer but that's what gives this film a lot of weight. All the characters have shades of grey, and they avoid cliche. The ending was disappointing, but I wasn't bothered. The whole story was still great.

I think for one evening, if you want an intelligent watch, then go for this one. It's a surprisingly good watch, and much respect to all for putting this one together.

Well, I have seen the "bad guy steals good guy's identity" so often that I was 15 minutes into it before I realized I hadn't seen it, and I STILL guessed what was going to happen.

It's a real shame, too, because both Shea Whigham and Michael Shannon are both brilliant actors. The give fantastic performances trying to breathe life into a dead premise, but it's still the same old plot.

Also, dear Mr. Galgut (Novel writer upon which the film is based), I worked near 50 years financing jails around the Spanish speaking parts of the US. If the majority of the town is Spanish speaking, so is the sheriff.

DO BETTER. Relegating all the Spanish speakers to background parts in a movie set in a Spanish speaking part of the US was offensive.

Do better, Hollywood.

I would believe and render into the story, but the 1:43 hour picture is slow and its just not engaging. I did not feel impact in the final scene, because the character doesnt make you feel the weight of his guilty, the burden of killing a man. I kept straight face the whole film... and thats it. Without Michael Shannon i dont think i'd finish it.

First 15-20 minutes, thought I might be wasting my time, fortunately I stuck with it. Yes, it's a slow burner, there are no heroes, leaving much to think about at the end.

Michael Shannon & Shea Wigham both pick interesting movies & having loved them both in the movie Take Shelter I was keen to watch this. While it isn't quite what I hoped it would be, it was still a fine picture.

This movie doesn't play by the rules. What I thought Wigham's mystery man to be, isn't quite what he was. What I thought would be a pivotal scene wasn't, and what I didn't expect to be was. I enjoyed this kind of subdued emotional teeter-totter, the symbology that pops up, and Shannon, Wigham & Bobby Soto's performances. I think a better ending though would have been for Wigham's nameless character to stumble away from the "climax" of the film, walking in a stupor for awhile before collapsing on the side of the road where the preacher again picks him up in his van, revealing him to be either in a purgatory where he's being tested or a self-directed hell.

Great cinematography.

Brooding background music that works.

Great acting.

Michael Shannon. Terrific as always.

A good potential screenplay which explores a criminal mind and guilt.

Those are the parts.

The sum ... the direction and the overall movie.

The sum just doesn't do justice to the parts.