Wetlands (2017)
A man attempts to make a new start in Atlantic City
with the help of his daughter and a new business partner.
Director:
Emanuele Della ValleWriter:
Emanuele Della ValleStars:
Country:
USARelease Date:
15 September 2017 (USA) See more »Company Credits
Production Co:
Adwale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Heather Graham, Jennifer Ehle and Christopher McDonald star in Emanuele Della Valle's neo-noir thriller set in New Jersey.
Director Emanuele Della Valle lays neo-noir atmosphere on thickly in
his debut feature set in the desolate New Jersey coastal towns south of
Atlantic City. The tale of a troubled cop (is there any other kind?)
attempting to get his life back together, the film boasts an unfortunate
timeliness given that one plot element involves a menacing hurricane
heading toward the Jersey shore. But that’s not enough to prevent the
rest of it from feeling terribly familiar. Despite a strong performance
by the charismatic Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (HBO’s Oz, ABC’s Lost) in a welcome leading role, Wetlands mostly comes up dry.
The physically imposing actor plays Babel Johnson, known as “Babs,” a
former Philadelphia detective with a checkered past and addiction
issues. Newly clean and sober, he’s been reassigned to the Jersey shore
area, where he hopes to repair his relationship with his estranged
ex-wife Savannah (Heather Graham) and teen daughter Amy (Celeste
O’Connor).
Unfortunately for him, Savannah is now romantically involved with a
woman, known as “Surfer Girl” (Reyna de Courcy), who’s turned to crime
to make enough money to move to Hawaii and open a surfboard business.
And Amy is so resentful of her father’s past behavior that when he
attempts to give her an ice-cream cone, she angrily throws it on the
ground.
Babs’ professional life isn’t much better. His new partner Paddy
(Christopher McDonald) is a garrulous hard drinker with a serious
gambling problem, and he himself becomes a suspect in an ongoing murder
investigation. On the bright side, when Paddy’s wife Kate (Jennifer
Ehle), a local news anchor desperate to maintain her looks, throws
herself at Babs, he doesn’t bother to resist.
Like so many noir films,Wetland incorporates voiceover
narration by one of the central characters and is stronger on mood than
plot. Della Valle’s screenplay features the sort of artificial-sounding,
hard-boiled dialogue uttered by characters who know they’re in a movie,
and it’s woefully thin on storytelling coherence.
Still, Akinnuoye-Agbaje looks great, and suitably haunted, walking
on deserted beaches clad in a trench coat, and his co-stars prove
equally compelling. Ehle provides subtle shadings that make her
character far more interesting than expected; McDonald expertly delivers
his unique brand of sleazy exuberance; and Graham, wearing tinted
aviator glasses throughout, displays an arresting edginess that somehow
makes her even sexier, if such a thing is possible. Thanks to the
actors’ fine work, Wetlands becomes a noir in the best
Hollywood tradition. You can savor the acting and mood even as you let
the story itself blow over you.
Final score: 3/10 for the genre and 2/10 overall - not worth to watch it.
Thanks for reading and have fun watching movies.
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