Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

tomgillespie2002 David Lowery's strangely-titled Ain't Them Bodies Saints doesn't just tip its hat to a bygone era of film-making, but attempts to completely recreate the heavily visual but emotionally complex work that swept through cinemas during the 1970's, especially in America. The early work of Terrence Malick is a particular inspiration here, as vast Texas fields and looming thunderclouds play as the backdrop to the doomed love-story at its centre. On top of being a love- letter to one of finest ever decades for cinema, it manages to tell a compelling, if often isolating, little story in its own right.Bob Muldoon (Casey Affleck) and Ruth Guthrie (Rooney Mara) are two reckless young lovers. We meet them in the midst of an argument that is quickly laughed off as Ruth announces she is with child, but it doesn't take long for their passionate romance to be cut short. When Bob drags Ruth into his world of petty crime, they find themselves locked in a shoot-out with the police that ends when Ruth wounds Deputy Wheeler (Ben Foster). Bob takes the blame and is incarcerated for 25 years to life, and the two attempt to maintain their relationship through written correspondence. A few years later, Ruth learns through the lonely Wheeler that Bob has escaped from prison and is no doubt coming for her.The film moves into more predictable territory following Bob's escape, as we follow him on his slow-burning journey across state lines, employing the assistance of friend Sweetie (Nate Parker) to help him creep gradually closer to Ruth without being detected. As Ruth struggles between longing for her true love and the realisation that running off with a now-hardened criminal may not be the best thing for her daughter, Wheeler lets his affections known. A gentle, morally-upright man respected in the community, he offers her a safe passage and undoubtedly a better life, but Ruth still finds herself drawn to the dangerous outlaw lifestyle. Her father Skerritt (Keith Carradine), having watched over Bob as a child, has a somewhat resentful sympathy for their love, and warns Bob of a group of ne'er-do-wells who arrives in town in search of him.The cast are excellent in their roles and compliment Lowery's desire to tell an emotionally complex story with fewer words than you would expect. Affleck is at his best when he is carefully treading the line between volatile and gentle, injecting Bob with a sympathy despite his characters occasional dark turn, and Mara perfectly captures Ruth's inward struggle between comfort and danger. Yet most impressive of all is Foster, toning down his usual wide-eyed shtick and showing a softer side perhaps not seen since Six Feet Under. For all its melancholic poetic narration and tormented gazes into the distance, the film tends to betray this approach when the dialogue comes, as the character spell out their predicaments when there's no call for it. More frustratingly, Lowery keeps the mysterious aspects of his movie a bit too close to the chest, as the reasons behind the appearance of the men hunting for Bob's head is teased but left infuriatingly unexplained. A bit like the title, it is alluring but seemingly hollow.

catsklgd1 I have always enjoyed Casey Affleck, so when I found he was starring in this movie (streaming on Netflix, no less) I figured I'd take a chance. I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed . . . at least not terribly. This hackneyed story of a troubled love affair gone bad is fairly predictable, but the superb acting by Affleck, Rooney Mara ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"), and Ben Foster, together with the "show, don't tell" screenplay by writer/director David Lowery, set it apart from lesser versions.Probably best known for his villainous role in "3:10 to Yuma," Foster does a great job with his role as a forgiving police officer, shot by the wife of character Bob Muldoon (Affleck), during a siege following a robbery. Muldoon takes the rap for his wife, and goes to prison, only to escape four years later, in an attempt be reunited with his wife, Ruth, and the couple's four-year-old daughter, born while he was "inside."A compelling, hypnotic musical score by Daniel Hart, dark, moody cinematography by Bradford Young, and a strong-but-understated performance by veteran actor Keith Carradine (why doesn't he get more work?) and you almost have a perfect movie - almost. What's missing is the back story. It's there - you just have to search for it, and there's a lot missing. We could have cared so much more about these characters, had it been revealed. Unfortunately, the bond that could have been made between the viewer and the film's characters never quite solidifies - and that' a shame.Regardless of its shortcomings, "Ain't Them Bodies Saints" is a film worth seeing, even if it's not quite perfect. Streaming worked for me, and it'll probably work for you!

Robert J. Maxwell This was written and directed by David Lowery, to whom I give bonus points for originality.A young man, Casey Affleck, accepts blame for wounding a police officer in some tiny retro town in Missouri, although it was his lover, Mara Rooney, who did the shooting. After a few years in the slams, Affleck crashes out and heads towards home, determine to see his girl friend, who still loves him, and his little girl. The cop, who doesn't know who shot him, falls for Rooney and the girl and thinks of them as his family. Everyone in town, including the police, soon learns that the fugitive is on his way. Guess what happens? The central idea -- lawbreaker wittingly heads towards forbidden place for personal reasons -- is hardly new. There are echoes of "One False Move," "Bonny and Clyde", "Falling Down," and "Behold a Pale Horse." What IS new is the treatment. It's all slow and deliberate. Nobody makes wisecracks during action scenes. The musical score doesn't blitz us with electronic noise. The editing is thoughtful enough to let us see what's going on, instead of being the usual maddening instantaneous clips. The acting is restrained, subtle. People think before they speak. And there is a near absence of gore. When Affleck shoots an attacker, it's a medium shot in a river at night.One might carp that the whole project is too dark, which it is. Missouri must never see the sun. But that's a minor thing. It does drag at times and, given the climax, it's rather like watching a fuse slowly sputtering towards a stack of dynamite that never really explodes. There are some loose ends too. I don't know what the title means or where that buried box of treasure came from. I've never warmed up to Casey Affleck. There's always something about to burst out of him when he uses that cracked, whiny voice. I keep waiting for him to bop somebody over the sconce with a baseball bat. But his screen persona fits the role of the laid-back Southern boy just fine.Mara Rooney is as fixed to her role as an enzyme to its substrate. She's a wan, pretty, contralto. If she doesn't smile, it's because the doesn't have much to smile about. Ben Foster, as the once-wounded policeman, now would-be husband, is a strict nonentity in the looks department and that's just great. He's convincing as hell as the sincere and perceptive second male lead.Daniel Hart did the musical score. The melancholy music -- no tunes -- is heard almost constantly but it doesn't interfere with the narrative because it comes in long sheets of drawn-out chords with occasional syncopated hand-clapping or violin plucking. Carter Burwell and my man Philip Glass draw from the same spring.If you begin to watch it, stick with it for a while. Adult sensibilities may take a little getting used to, after all the garbage polluting our screens these days. This one doesn't even have a car chase and there is not a SINGLE VAMPIRE in sight.

g-bodyl Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a surrealist painting about love and what one will do to find love, and that includes breaking out of prison and avoiding the authorities. Now this film is not for everyone's taste, but I was enthralled by the film. Not only was the story captivating, the visuals were excellent. And I'm not talking about explosions and CGI. I'm talking about the cinematography and the excellent country shots. This is one of those westerns nobody has ever seen, and it is our jobs to make sure that this great movie is seen.David Lowery's film is about a Texas outlaw couple in the 1970's. After a shootout, Bob Muldoon is sentenced to 25 years in prison. Bob suddenly decides to escape prison to reunite with his wife, Ruth Guthrie and his daughter that he has never met.The acting is excellent. Casey Affleck is in another western after 2007's Robert Ford film, but I think he does better in this film. It's more suitable for his persona. Rooney Mara does an excellent job and she perfectly compliments Affleck. Ben Foster delivers a fine, toned-down performance. Finally, Keith Carradine does a good job as an actual homage to the 70's.Overall, Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a poetic masterpiece that is led by strong acting and mesmerizing visuals. The plot is a little conventional, but it is one of those plots I can enjoy over and over again. It's a shame how the film couldn't even break a million dollars at the box office, because in my opinion this film should have had a couple Academy Awards to its name. But I guess the film is an acquired taste. I rate this film 9/10.