"Darkness Falls" (a.k.a., "Anderson Falls") developed an interesting pair of antagonists in Jeff Anderson, a decent detective whose wife is murdered by the psychopathic Mark Witver. The film is both a physical and psychological duel between the two characters.
Unfortunately, there was an amateur feel to the clumsy dialogue, the slow pacing, and the incredulity of the events. It was especially disappointing that the violence was so intense, especially in the gruesome murder of Jeff's wife.
The environments in the film did not feel like real places, especially the police station where Mark gets the drop on Jeff and his police captain, then marches them out of the building. Improbably, no employee or official of a law enforcement facility was in sight. Then, in a nearly farcical maneuver, Jeff returns the favor by taking back the gun and getting the drop on Mark in the car.
The climactic scene was also overly violent, and it stretched credibility beyond the pale that Mark would receive multiple gunshots without any greater reaction than wincing and his son Adam would be beaten to a pulp, then bounce back up like a jack-in-the-box.
The film's theme apparently went something like men become evil when they have problems with their mommies. But it never was very convincing or insightful.
Unfortunately, there was an amateur feel to the clumsy dialogue, the slow pacing, and the incredulity of the events. It was especially disappointing that the violence was so intense, especially in the gruesome murder of Jeff's wife.
The environments in the film did not feel like real places, especially the police station where Mark gets the drop on Jeff and his police captain, then marches them out of the building. Improbably, no employee or official of a law enforcement facility was in sight. Then, in a nearly farcical maneuver, Jeff returns the favor by taking back the gun and getting the drop on Mark in the car.
The climactic scene was also overly violent, and it stretched credibility beyond the pale that Mark would receive multiple gunshots without any greater reaction than wincing and his son Adam would be beaten to a pulp, then bounce back up like a jack-in-the-box.
The film's theme apparently went something like men become evil when they have problems with their mommies. But it never was very convincing or insightful.