When alcoholic ex-cop Mike Kendall finds the body of a young woman, he becomes obsessed with redeeming himself by finding the killer. In the process, he puts himself and his family in danger while hanging out with an assortment of shady characters.
Brothers Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms, who wrote and directed the film, have some solid ideas, and "Small Town Crime" moves forward with assurance and confidence.
This is well-made entertainment, pure and simple, with enough surprises along the way to avoid being strictly formulaic. What's more, it accomplishes all this in just under an hour and a half.
It combines familiar character actors and familiar story elements to produce a sufficiently satisfying, if not especially memorable, film perfect for whiling away a rainy afternoon.
Mr. Hawkes keeps you tethered, whether he's navigating the movie's uneven tones or peeling down one of cinema's lonely highways in a muscle car so lovingly shot it deserves a co-star credit.
The ... roteness can perhaps be chalked up to Small Town Crime's fancying itself a throwback to gritty 1970s detective movies, including a score that's an homage to Lalo Schifrin. But it's set in the present, and there are off-putting moments throughout.
There are enough nice touches and details along the way - including Clifton Collins Jr. as an old school R&B-loving pimp - to make up for its shortcomings.
