FILM INFO: A troubled man survives a suicide attempt. He calls an old friend to rescue him in the middle of the night.
WRITTEN BY: E.B. Hughes DIRECTED BY: E.B. Hughes GENRE: Drama TIME: 90 minutes.
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Turnabout ( 2016 )
Feature Film Review
I'll be the first to admit I was rather surprised by the film I ended up watching. "Turnabout" far surpassed all the expectations I had after the first few minutes. Once I had hit that play button, I expected a hand-held visual experience through-out the entire movie. The first scene felt iffy, shaky and a little blurred out in spots. Little did I know that was simply the intention of the scene itself, considering what I ended up with was a beautifully shot film. Through and through. We all have those friends that slip between the cracks. At some point, contact stops and said person literally becomes someone we used to know. Then, for many of us, we begin to wonder at times what became of them? That hot-head friend from high school, the one you just knew was destined for trouble... did he turn out alright? Did he find his path? So given the situation presented in "Turnabout" with a random call in the middle of the night, from one such old friend in trouble, would you try and help? Would it be for simple curiosity or genuine concern? Then, if you did answer the call, would you be game for a little old school shenanigans as the both of you relive your days of youth? Should the situation arise, would you step out of your comfort zone? That of your now normal life, in an attempt to capture that feeling of youth? Or, dare I say, to impress your old friend? With these questions come many more, and those many more are the essence of "Turnabout" from writer, director E.B. Hughes. Visually, as I hinted at above, this is a great playing film. Throw away all notions of indie, low budget and studio; and simply call it for what it is. A good looking movie. The shots are all atmosphere inducing moments, and everything just seems to fit in place. The cast themselves, led by Waylon Payne and George Katt, have no problem with that awkward, friendly feeling people get when visiting old friends. There is also no problem delivering the subtle hints that foreshadow the climax of the film. The supporting cast all also manage perform well above expectations, except in the case of Peter Greene who occupies a spot on the poster. Of course he performs splendidly, and my only real complaint is that we're led to believe he has a much bigger role than he ends up getting. Pish-post they say. Right? Although this a great film overall, it's not without it's share of teeny-tiny problems. Mainly it's length. Sure, to read the numeric value it feels about right. But, there is some lag within the film itself. Making it feel about ten minutes longer than it should have been. Two segments, I personally feel are responsible for this long winded culprit. The first being the introduction to the film, and the second being the strip club segment. For the strip club segment, I can't quite figure out the actual reason why, it just felt drawn out a little. The intro? I felt to much time was spent with walking shots. The funny thing is that for me, if these two segments were re-cut into slightly shorter versions, I think this film would "feel" just right. As for the few "cut" minutes? Still plenty of film left to be considered a feature. Overall, these are small things weighted against all the good of the film. Overall, this really was a treat to watch. I especially loved the ending. It may not have been earth shattering, but it did the trick. Especially when you can look back and see the few hints scattered here and there about the ending. I also loved how this film begs you to answer a really hard question. Or, at the very least... ask it. What would you do? Given the situation. Would you give in to peer pressure? How far is a "conservative" person really... from becoming... let me just write... less conservative? You want to know what I'm hinting at? Why not watch the movie and find out. If nothing else, E.B. Hughes and his crew manage one ever important thing. They entertain. That's all that matters right?
