The success of many action-thriller films heavily relies on the visuals and stunts to entice and engage audience interest. But the new Anchor Bay Films release ‘Texas Killing Fields,’ which is now available to rent on DVD at Long Island Redbox locations, instead focuses on the actors’ chemistry and the characters’ reactions to the killer. First-time feature film director Ami Canaan Mann surprisingly succeeds in telling the tale of the detectives investigating the case instead of the victims.
‘Texas Killing Fields,’ which was inspired by real murders in the oil refineries of the southeastern section of the state and based on the novel of the same name, follows League City homicide detective Jake Souder (played by Sam Worthington) and his partner, New York City officer Brian Heigh, (portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Brian was transferred to help Jake track a sadistic serial killer who has became known for dumping his victims’ bodies in a nearby marsh called “The Killing Fields.”
As Jake and Brian become familiar with the killer’s patterns, the suspect changes his routine and begins hunting the two detectives. The two become even more determined to catch the killer when he kidnaps a local girl, Little Annie Sliger (played by Chloe Grace Moretz), who Brian has come to care about after protecting her from her negligent mother.
The main driving force in the crime thriller is the relationship between Jake and Brian, as the two take completely different approaches to their work. Screenwriter Don Ferrarone, who penned ‘Texas Killing Fields,’ perfectly create two completely different, but equally complex, interesting characters who both immediately pull the audience into the story. Brian, a religious family man, is determined to always help people and help solve cases, even if they’re out of his jurisdiction. Jake, meanwhile, just wants to follow the rules and not get in trouble with his superiors.
Morgan and Worthington were perfectly cast in their respective roles. Morgan emotionally connected to Brian and showed that after years of brutal police work, detectives can still be determined to help victims they don’t even known. He also had a great chemistry with Worthington; much like their respective characters, Morgan takes a more laid-back but ever-determined approach to his work, while Worthington is more aggressive. The two balance each other’s emotions, creating intense and passionate exchanges while they’re still able to obtain leads on the killer’s identity.
Viewers interested in hearing Mann and Ferrarone’s experiences of shooting ‘Texas Killing Fields’ will surely enjoy the DVD’s main bonus feature, the feature-length commentary track. The DVD also includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
For her feature film directorial debut, Mann, the daughter of acclaimed action-thriller filmmaker Michael Mann, effectively brought the true story of the killing field murders to the big screen. Not only did Morgan and Worthington, the two lead characters in the film, have a realistic, intense relationship, the audience will surely be more affected by the characters’ emotions than the actual killings.
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