100 Proof (film)

This article is about the film. For the measure of alcohol content, see Alcohol proof. For the album by Kellie Pickler, see 100 Proof (album).
100 Proof
Directed by Jeremy Horton
Produced by Jay Faires
George Maranville
Written by Jeremy Horton
Starring Pamela Stewart
Tara Bellando
J. S. Johnson
Minnie Bates Yancy
Jim Varney
Music by Michael Mossier
Cinematography Harold Jarboe
Edited by George Maranville
Distributed by Mammoth Pictures
Release dates
 1997
Running time
 94 min.
Country United States
Language English

100 Proof (1997) is an independently produced American thriller, written and directed by Jeremy Horton.[a] Shot on location in Kentucky, it is based on the true story of a killing spree that took place in Lexington in 1986.[1] Two women, LaFonda Fay Foster and Tina Hickey Powell, murdered five people in the real-life incident.[2][3] The film's supporting cast includes Jim Varney, who portrays the drunk, violent, incestuous father of one of the two women at the center of the story. Varney's role is radically different from the humorous Ernest P. Worrell character for which he was best known.[4]

Plot synopsis

Close friends Rae and Carla live an impoverished life in a quiet, depressed Southern town. They pay for their drug and alcohol habits through odd jobs, grifting, and occasional prostitution. Rae has a disturbing encounter with her abusive, alcoholic father at a local bar. The two friends then head out to the countryside to score some cocaine and a brutal cycle of violence ensues.

Cast

Reception

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1997 and was released commercially that September. Variety reviewer Joe Leydon applauded the acting—particularly that of Stewart and Varney—and called the film a "diamond in the rough, or at least a shiny bit of jagged rhinestone."[4] Stephen Holden of The New York Times praised the film's "integrity" and authentic depiction of poverty and violence, but found it difficult to take: "The film's crudeness works in its favor ... [it] has the look, texture and loose-jointedness of a semi-improvised home movie. Nothing is really explained. You are just plunked into the middle of this infinitely sullen slice of life. It isn't long before the characters' boredom and accumulated hostility begin to seep into you. But beyond an appalled sense of pity, it is impossible to feel much for them. You just want to get out of there as quickly as possible."[5] TV Guide's Ken Fox viewed it as both "grueling" and admirable: "The film attains the dirty, hyperrealism of a reality based cop show, but with a surprising touch of quiet compassion. ... In the end, the violence isn't cleansing, redemptive or empowering; it's just pitiful and very nasty."[6]

Notes

  1. ^ Credits are per Screen World 1998 (1999) by John Willis and Barry Monush, p. 170. New York: Applause. ISBN 1-55783-342-7.

References

  1. ↑ Alspector, Lisa. "100 Proof". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  2. ↑ O'Shea, Kathleen A. (1999). Women and the Death Penalty in the United States, 1900–1998, pp. 183–87. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood. ISBN 0-275-95952-X
  3. ↑ Ortiz, Brandon (2008-07-18). "'Drunk Defense' Works in Two Big Cases". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  4. 1 2 Leydon, Joe (1997-03-02). "100 Proof". Variety. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  5. ↑ Holden, Stephen (1997-09-24). "'100 Proof': Sullen Slice of Sullen Lives". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  6. ↑ Fox, Ken. "100 Proof: Review". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2010-02-26.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/28/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.