It is time for another team-up review with my friends Dawn and Terry! After our last adventure together, it was up to Dawn to pick a movie for this month. After a couple of false starts, she settled on the film Dig Two Graves (2014). This isn't a movie that was on my radar, unlike another film Dawn was considering, so I was curious as to why she picked this one. That is the nice thing about this little movie club, they pick movies I likely wouldn't have so it gets me to watch something I probably wouldn't have watched until much later down the road. So, let's see what I thought about this one.
Jake (Samantha Isler) is a young teen who has a bit of tomboy in her. Her older brother talks her into going to the quarry in order to jump into the water that has filled it in. There is a spot that makes for a long jump into the water that Jake says she will jump from but doesn't do so at the last second. Her brother does make the jump but doesn't surface. After the funeral, Jake leans on her grandfather Sheriff Waterhouse (Ted Levine). Missing her brother a lot, three strange brothers approach her one day and offer a way to bring her brother back to life. If she agrees to the cost, she will be caught up as a pawn for those seeking revenge.
Dig Two Graves was co-written by Jeremy Phillips and Hunter Adams, who also directed. There are two stories taking place here. One is the backstory that takes place in 1947/ This explains why the three brothers want their revenge and who all was involved. It isn't told all at once but instead is told over the course of the film. It is done in interesting ways at times as well. Like when Sheriff Waterhouse is in the local bar, he recalls what happened there back in 1947 so we get a flashback scene. The main story takes place 30 years later in 1977. The time period doesn't really play into the story all that much, but the location that Dig Two Graves was filmed at added a lot. Shot in Marion, Illinois, there are some beautiful shots of the countryside to be found. I wish I could say that it added to the creepiness, but I never felt that it did. The story mostly centers around Jake, but there are times in branches off to grandpa and the three brothers. It all plays off each other, so it made sense to give some of the story to all of them. The characters in this story are rather interesting. There is a bad guy to the story, though he doesn't play a big part in the overall story. He gets the revenge story going and that is about it. Ther isn't a defined good guy to the story though. All the other characters are in this grey area. Jake isn't so much, but she still fits. The three brothers are kind of hard to define, but I couldn't shake this feeling they may not have been bad people if it wasn't for what happened to them. Sheriff Waterhouse is a good guy. He loves his family very much and seems to have a good bond with his granddaughter. However, there are times when he should have spoken up about what was going on around him, but he never does. While Dig Two Graves does get a horror tag, I never felt that it went that far. It is very much a thriller, which is fine with me but it also presented the biggest problem in that I never really felt my tension in what was happening.
There wasn't much for special effects. Jake face plants against a rock at one point which cuts her head open and leaves a scar for the rest of the movie. Not a real bloody scene, but it is there. We also get a fire that looks pretty cool late in the film. Some didn't seem to like the acting with this movie, but I didn't have a problem with anyone. I thought Samantha Isler was pretty good in most of her scenes. There was a time or two I thought she could have done better, but those were minor moments really. Ted Levine was also very good in his role. I especially liked his acting when he interacted with Jake. The three brothers, especially the leader of the three, were also good.
I do wish they had done more with the brothers though. They were there to play the role of the bad guys for Jake, but I felt there was more to them than just that. There is a scene where Jake meets them at a cave that was maybe the most interesting part of the movie to me. It would have been nice if there had been more of that with maybe more of a story behind it. Even though I didn't love Dig Two Graves, it is still a good movie. The story could have been a tad better, but it was still interesting enough to keep my attention through the whole film despite it being a tad slow paced. The acting helps with this and the relationship between grandfather and his granddaughter was terrific. This plays into the ending in a good but sad way. It is worth checking out if you haven't already. Even though I am a day late getting this review done, I'm still the first one to post a review between the three of us...the slackers! As soon as Terry and Dawn post theirs, I will update with links. Until then, I will get ready for the chat!
3 out of 5 No graves were digged for this review
Jake (Samantha Isler) is a young teen who has a bit of tomboy in her. Her older brother talks her into going to the quarry in order to jump into the water that has filled it in. There is a spot that makes for a long jump into the water that Jake says she will jump from but doesn't do so at the last second. Her brother does make the jump but doesn't surface. After the funeral, Jake leans on her grandfather Sheriff Waterhouse (Ted Levine). Missing her brother a lot, three strange brothers approach her one day and offer a way to bring her brother back to life. If she agrees to the cost, she will be caught up as a pawn for those seeking revenge.
Dig Two Graves was co-written by Jeremy Phillips and Hunter Adams, who also directed. There are two stories taking place here. One is the backstory that takes place in 1947/ This explains why the three brothers want their revenge and who all was involved. It isn't told all at once but instead is told over the course of the film. It is done in interesting ways at times as well. Like when Sheriff Waterhouse is in the local bar, he recalls what happened there back in 1947 so we get a flashback scene. The main story takes place 30 years later in 1977. The time period doesn't really play into the story all that much, but the location that Dig Two Graves was filmed at added a lot. Shot in Marion, Illinois, there are some beautiful shots of the countryside to be found. I wish I could say that it added to the creepiness, but I never felt that it did. The story mostly centers around Jake, but there are times in branches off to grandpa and the three brothers. It all plays off each other, so it made sense to give some of the story to all of them. The characters in this story are rather interesting. There is a bad guy to the story, though he doesn't play a big part in the overall story. He gets the revenge story going and that is about it. Ther isn't a defined good guy to the story though. All the other characters are in this grey area. Jake isn't so much, but she still fits. The three brothers are kind of hard to define, but I couldn't shake this feeling they may not have been bad people if it wasn't for what happened to them. Sheriff Waterhouse is a good guy. He loves his family very much and seems to have a good bond with his granddaughter. However, there are times when he should have spoken up about what was going on around him, but he never does. While Dig Two Graves does get a horror tag, I never felt that it went that far. It is very much a thriller, which is fine with me but it also presented the biggest problem in that I never really felt my tension in what was happening.
There wasn't much for special effects. Jake face plants against a rock at one point which cuts her head open and leaves a scar for the rest of the movie. Not a real bloody scene, but it is there. We also get a fire that looks pretty cool late in the film. Some didn't seem to like the acting with this movie, but I didn't have a problem with anyone. I thought Samantha Isler was pretty good in most of her scenes. There was a time or two I thought she could have done better, but those were minor moments really. Ted Levine was also very good in his role. I especially liked his acting when he interacted with Jake. The three brothers, especially the leader of the three, were also good.
I do wish they had done more with the brothers though. They were there to play the role of the bad guys for Jake, but I felt there was more to them than just that. There is a scene where Jake meets them at a cave that was maybe the most interesting part of the movie to me. It would have been nice if there had been more of that with maybe more of a story behind it. Even though I didn't love Dig Two Graves, it is still a good movie. The story could have been a tad better, but it was still interesting enough to keep my attention through the whole film despite it being a tad slow paced. The acting helps with this and the relationship between grandfather and his granddaughter was terrific. This plays into the ending in a good but sad way. It is worth checking out if you haven't already. Even though I am a day late getting this review done, I'm still the first one to post a review between the three of us...the slackers! As soon as Terry and Dawn post theirs, I will update with links. Until then, I will get ready for the chat!
3 out of 5 No graves were digged for this review
