Raimi’s attempt at a Coen brothers movie, and the results aren’t bad. A lot of his trademark directorial style is stripped away here: the camerawork, acting and dialogue are handled in a way that feels more straightforward and mature. There’s not one single ounce of camp to be found here. His direction is at its most accessible here, but because of that some of the choices feel a little bland and anonymous, which is the last thing I’m looking for in a Sam Raimi film. For example, while cinematography is decent, there’s nothing all that special about the framing or lighting. Paxton and Thornton’s performances are serviceable, but you want them to be mindblowing in a film that’s entirely driven by drama. The fact that they all play characters that are varying degrees of stupid adds to the Coen brothers feel, except none of the characters leave as much of an impression as William H Macy or Frances McDormand in _Fargo_. The script is interesting enough, however with only a handful of notable scenes, cliche twists and a general lack of thematic ambition, I’d recommend _Three Kings_ and _Da 5 Bloods_ over this in a heartbeat, both of which have a similar set-up but with more interesting layers and subtext build into the story.

5.5/10