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Cook County
Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek
(from the 2008 South By Southwest Film Festival)
Director/Writer: David Pomes
Starring: Anson Mount, Ryan Donowho, Polly Cole, Xander Berkley
As "Bump," Anson Mount loosely runs a meth lab from his Cook County kitchen. Thin and wiry, the almost-always-wired addict dispenses drugs and diatribe, ruling his daughter and nephew with profits rather than parenting in mind. And scenes within which Bump attempts to hook even his six-year-old kid on the candy he dishes out to druggies are particularly difficult to digest.
Ryan Donowho as the young nephew charged with the responsibilities of an adult in this lawless environment is clearly an actor with promise. The star of the film, however, is its erratic anchor, Anson Mount. Mount, with a bizarre filmography that ranges from the cult hits Boiler Room and Tully to the commercial Urban Legends: Final Cut, In Her Shoes and incredulous Crossroads, really finds his form in this feature, and he seems as spectacularly casual and comfortable in his character's skin as his own.
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| When Bump's big brother Sonny (Xander Berkley) returns home after a two-year absence, now sober and stubborn, Mount's gun-slingin', flag-flyin', meth-addict paranoia soars to a scary sizzle. Sonny, faced with a choice of whose fickle future he must attempt to protect, must tackle the most difficult of decisions. And with only slight exception, the director delivers a disturbing portrait of the meth problems that have ravaged America in general and rural towns in particular. Pomes's work with his actors is formidable, and the movie is shot and cut with acclaim-worthy confidence, especially with consideration that this is Pomes's debut effort. Cook County is a class act, representing the classless and lawless with insight and precision that has both local and global relevance. Photos courtesy of IndiePR
Top: Deandra and Abe
Middle: Mount and Berkley
Bottom: Director David Pomes |
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