Chris Brinker died suddenly on February 8th of an aortic aneurism. The producer of a number of films, most notably the Boondock Saints, Brinker had just finished his directorial debut film, Bad Country, before passing away at the young age of 42. His first and final film has an impressive cast including Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon, Amy Smart, Neal McDonough, and Tom Berenger. Unfortunately, looking at the trailer, the cast might be the only thing that’s impressive.
Based on a true story, Bad Country follows a Louisiana detective (Dafoe) and his informant, a former contract killer (Dillon), who attempt to take down a major crime syndicate. The plot sounds familiar, and so far it doesn’t look like the film strays far from established genre conventions. Even the film’s name has been changed from the far more interesting Whiskey Bay to the pedestrian Bad Country. The trailer gives a good idea of the film’s style, highlighting the early 80s vibe, and the handlebar mustaches.
For all their many faults, The Boondock Saints films had a frenzied energy that made them compulsively watchable. Brinker’s final outing may have a good cast, and may even be well composed, but at least at first glance it feels like a film that’s been made a number of times before. Picked up by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, it looks like Bad Country is heading straight to the On Demand and DVD market.
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