'Blow The Man Down' Review: Jolting cinematography and stern characters bring salty secrets to light
Spoiler alert for 'Blow The Man Down'
An icy night called for immediate reflexes, setting in action sequences of events that brought the secrets residing in the underbelly of Easter Cove into the inquisitive spotlight.
After the loss of their mother, who had been involved in mysterious messes herself, the Connolly sisters are left with debt, a dead body and a murder weapon. The movie's thriller antics, even though it is predictable, will have you sitting tight, eyes wide, till the credits run.
The salty fishy village had a pale attitude as people in all black waltzed in for the funeral of Mary Margaret Connolly, an integral part of the town and a beloved matriarch.
Her daughters, Mary Beth (Morgan Saylor) & Priscilla Connolly (Sophie Lowe) hear the echoes of reminiscing times from their mother's friends as they dwell in isolation of losing their home and their youth.
Mary Beth, who had already given up a year of her schooling to help her sister take care of their ailing mother expressed the immense need to leave the s***** place. When she finds out that her tiny family of two is also going to lose their home, she sets out on a night on the town.
The insular village on Maine's rocky coast may look pristine with its glaciers and snowy accolades, but it's home to some of the vicious minds. Blowing off steam while drunk may seem like the better plan while trying to cool off until you're being chased by a man who's out for more than just a kill.
A black dress riding up as she ran through the shelter of raw fish crates, Mary Beth took the aid of a harpoon and a brick to end the life of a bad man.
This small town has relationships that run past "hellos" and "goodbyes" with secrets cradled in thick delusions. Priscilla, who's trying to face the music that their late mother left behind by working overtime at the family fish shop, now has eyes on her because of one decision she made.
After already babysitting Mary Beth's irresponsible attitude, the Connolly sisters put on their boots to conceal a dead body.
Meanwhile, the darkness of Easter Cove is settled in a bed and breakfast-turned-brothel run by madame Enid Nora Devlin (Margo Martindale). Faced with missing cash and the dead body of one of her girls Dee (Meredith Holzman), her intentions as always protecting her girls start to raise doubts.
From here on we see the impeccable portrayal of a woman determined to keep a town business alive for more reasons than one as Martindale delivers a determined performance.
From an eerie stricture of cold seas and heart-pumping music, the set up ensures a double meaning to Easter Cover's picture-perfect outside shell. "You remember how bad it was, we all have stories," Enid says to the town elders as they pierce their judgmental eyes at an establishment that was built after attaining all their signatures.
June Squibb, Annette O’Toole and Marceline Hugot bring the town elders to life as they decide its time to take a firm hand against the town's unsettling business - what good is two dead bodies going to do besides bringing unwanted stories to question?
With its matter-of-fact dialogue and near practicality of a situation that isn't technically self-defense nor murder, it unties the bounded knots that once held the town together. The death of Mary Margaret Connolly surfaced more than just the secrets of the town, it also heeded outsiders to the grotesque loyalty of its residents.