Sweet Virginia

The concepts Sweet Virginia explore through this setup — lives intersecting after a tragedy in a small town and a dangerous outsider tearing through a community — aren’t new for noir or westerns, but the understated, intense performances of Dagg’s cast make this slow burner a standout.

As with most slow-burn neo-noir movies, Sweet Virginia thrives on atmosphere. It oozes it from every frame.

What director Jamie M. Dagg achieves with his slow burn of a second feature is a total immersion in end-of-the-line atmosphere, with four superb central performances bringing archetypal intrigue to life.

The film is gripping from start to finish, even when so much of its menace rings hollow.

A movie that forgoes solid storytelling for an atmosphere that keeps you captivated, director Jamie M. Dagg has made a film that plays with genres from neo-noir to thriller to even horror.

Much of Sweet Virginia suggests a deep Coen brothers influence. But when it is pulled off as well as it is in Sweet Virginia, there's no shame in that.

Sweet Virginia doesn’t have much of a point, as its characters are reductive variables in an inevitable equation of carnage.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

So. They set up the characters really well. Super engaging scenes that makes you learn about all of them. They open a ton of threads about all them in subtle, natural ways, plus relationships between some of them... And then all ends in a few sequences in a non-climax. I honestly believe they thought they could film for more time in a two hour film, they were noticed that wasn't going to be the case, and rewrite the end so they could at least sell the movie. Having said that, the acting and script of the good part (2/3) of the movie is so good that I couldn't put this movie less than a six...