Seeing the pain that the American "War on Terror" inflicts especially on civilians and shildren, regional leaders decide to strike back by means of political assassination, and their target of choice is the Republican senator of Texax, Cruthers (Mike Gassaway), long known for his reactionary and often blatantly racist views on the War on Terror, which also includes his pro-torture stance and his downplaying of collateral damage among civilians - so basically he's a despicable asshole and part of the problem. But the leaders don't send just any assassin to the United States but top agent Hassin (Junes Zahdy), who is not only able to handle any situation thrown at him, he's also known for his strong disdain for killing civilians, even if it puts himself in danger. Now he enters the US via Mexico as an illegal Mexican immigrang, then dresses up as an American reporter from a smalltown paper to find out where the senator will be vacationing, then, as a pure-bred Texan, rents a hunting cabin near Arlettville, where Cruthers has figured to do some fishing. Now Arlettsville, your typical Texan small town where everyone knows everyone, is the turf of Sheriff Joe Haladin (Jeff Weber), a truly righteous man who thinks little of the reactionary views of many of the locals but who is still popular among the townsfolks because he tries to solve problems with common sense rather than brute force and who tries to keep peace and quiet by trying to unite people and cool tempers. A series of incidents that are all connected to Hassin's arrival make him suspicious though, , but of course he couldn't begn to suspect they have to do with a plot against the senator. However, when not only the senator is kidnapped but also Haladin's son (Caleb Duane), things suddenly get very personal ...

One has to give this film props for blurring the lines between good and evil, this is not a film about "terrorists" committing needlessly blood-thirsty crimes against innocent and blameless Americans, it's really much more about a war that has been going on way too long to even be able to tell right from wrong, a war that's fought though on the backs of innocents. And this works so well thanks to a well-oiled narrative that's full of intended ambiguities and populated by well fleshed out and relatable characters - who are also played by a solid ensemble cast, making this one a cool thriller that actually also provides food for thought.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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