Hollywood really doesn't know what to do with film noir anymore. Not since 1997's ""L.A. Confidential"" has there been a truly successful major studio film noir effort. Instead, the genre has been littered with missteps such as ""The Good German"" and ""The Black Dahlia,"" forcing fans to go elsewhere for their regular dosage of sardonic gumshoe protagonists embroiled in sleazy, sensual plotlines. Film noir has flourished in independent and foreign cinema, with films like Rian Johnson's ""Brick"" and the Korean drama ""Mother"" earning considerable critical success. Recently released crime thriller ""Winter's Bone"" tries to continue this indie film noir trend, and while it succeeds on several levels, it fails to inject the same freshness into its conceit.
Taking on the traditional role of the film noir crime investigator is Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence), an impoverished 17-year-old Missouri Ozarks girl. With her mother in a catatonic state and her father missing, Ree is tasked with taking care of her two younger siblings on her own. She finds her already fragile living situation tossed into chaos when the local sheriff (Garret Dillahunt) informs her that her father put the family's house up for bond, and if he fails to show at his next court date the family will lose their property. Determined to protect her defenseless brother and sister, Ree scours the rural criminal underworld to find her father, at much risk to her own safety and reputation.
Much has been made of the excellent work in the lead role from Lawrence, and she does deliver a fine performance. Lawrence is able to convey every bit of worry and trepidation in Ree's character all while maintaining a tough outer shell. But despite her strong effort, the film is completely stolen by John Hawkes, a longtime character actor most well-known for supporting roles in television shows like ""Deadwood"" and ""Eastbound and Down."" As Ree's uncle Teardrop, Hawkes dominates every scene he is in, creating an incredibly imposing and often terrifying presence despite his gangly frame. In each and every scene between him and Ree, there is no telling whether Teardrop will be her savior or her downfall, an ambiguity and unpredictability created by both strong writing and Hawkes' masterful portrayal.
However, despite the stellar efforts of Lawrence, Hawkes and a well-rounded supporting cast, ""Winter's Bone"" feels somewhat weighed down by its ambitions. The most successful independent film noirs in recent years have advanced the genre by taking it into new directions. ""Brick"" turned the standard film noir detective yarn into a brooding analysis of the teenage adolescent mindset. ""Mother"" used one of the genre's favorite themes, obsession, to explore the basic nature of maternal love. But the only thing novel about ""Winter's Bone"" is its setting in the Ozarks, an area that has rarely been visited by film crews. Take away the banjos, barren pine forests and country hicks and the storyline is fairly standard, albeit with a bit more girl power than the average detective mystery. Effectively, ""Winter's Bone"" covers much of the same topics of poverty and desolation as ""Gone Baby Gone,"" just relocated 1000 miles to the west.
That's not to say the storyline is not otherwise solid. While ""Winter's Bone"" is not quite as original as director and co-screenwriter Debra Granik thinks it is, the film works very well on a structural level. It is incredibly taught throughout, and Granik clearly has a very good feel for pacing. Every confrontation is earned and peaks at just the right moment, particularly a confrontation in a storage shed between Teardrop and the criminal spokesperson Merab (an also fantastic Dale Dickey). In addition, Granik keeps ""Winter's Bone"" firmly relatable at all points, ensuring the likely well-off audience watching the film is tethered to Ree's plight with well-drawn stakes and a proper introduction to Ozark culture.
These elements all coalesce to create a very solid movie, just not a revolutionary one. But in a summer featuring many more misses than hits, a merely solid film is more than welcome.
