The first thing you will notice about this movie is it's style. It takes a few minutes to get used to the pseudo-film noire feel and the interesting camera work. In the end you may feel as though you've been watching an episode of The Twilight Zone, or Tales From the Dark Side. Welcome this feeling- it is the only way to really embrace the computer enhanced darkness that fills this movie.

For the most part the acting is solid. Thomas Jane is pulling double duty as both lead actor and director, a difficult task for anyone (watch almost any Branagh film), and in this case it works. You can tell he feels very comfortable working with his surroundings, co-stars and cameras. Lauren German never really seems to find her stride in this movie but I'm willing to blame the writer for never making any very solid decisions as to her character. And Ron Perlman is just sort of there, being Ron Perlman. Which is fine, if you like Ron Perlman.

The music isn't the best but what was written for the movie works well within the movie. If the computer enhanced darkness and story don't throw you off, the music isn't going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

I have a soft spot for this kind of film- indie-esquire, first time director, interesting story with certain, almost inexplicable, twists that are almost nuanced into the shots. I like this movie, but it's probably not going to appeal to the masses. If you want a big budget scary movie with Thomas Jane and a satisfying ending that wraps up all events in the movie into a nice little explained bow, rent The Mist. If you want something a little more offbeat with a unique vision from a first time director, try Dark Country.

A newly married couple hits the road and drives through the desert from Las Vegas when they encounter a person who was just in an accident. They take him and try to find some help, but they get more than they bargained for and all hell breaks loose.

I was intrigued by this film from the trailer, not because of the story or the actors, but it was the visual flare that grabbed me. It was a film noir with a twilight zone twist and that was exactly what the film gives you. Dark Country is the directorial debut of Thomas Jane and with Dark Country he shows that he has some interesting concepts and talent to back it up, yet still needs time to hone those skills. Dark Country, while showcasing some impressive scenes, comes off as slightly amateurish at times.

The most evident is the green screen. Now, Jane has obviously chosen to make it noticeable that when they are in the car, that the scenery in the background was stylized to make it feel like a comic book. It works, but the problem lies in the production values that are evident in the cracks. Bits of the green screen are visible through our lead female characters hair and around their faces. This takes you out of the film and you realize that you're watching a film.

The second would be the audio. While Jane pays a lot of attention to the detail of the visuals, he seems to have let the audio slide a little bit. If a film has bad visuals, the audience can forgive you as long as the sound is good. If a film has bad audio, you are screwed. While the film doesn't have horrible audio, there are times that it feels like it was put together in a day. ADR is very evident and jolting.

I give the film some credit for the intrigue. I immediately wanted to listen to the audio commentary from Jane to see what his agenda was. I got some of the film, while other parts of it were lost on me. The film is without a doubt a Twilight Zone entry aided by the film noir and graphic novel aspects that Jane added. It's a genre piece that has a specific market. Jane knows what he is doing and comes off extremely prepared and knowledgeable. I just wish he would have taken a bit more time with this one and improved those little imperfections.

It's funny, during the film there were parts where I asked myself if Jane was trying to make a 3D film. Reading up on the film, much to my surprise it apparently was suppose to be a 3D film. Not only that, but Jane is apparently not happy with the final product. I can see his frustration because there is a lot here that could be good. Instead it feels as if it's an exercise. A project to see if Jane could actually direct.

Dark Country is a beautiful looking film that has a few problems, yet those few problems are jarring enough to make you upset with the final product.

Well, If you like Thomas Jane as an Actor, you'll like this film. I saw him in the Film Thursday. I always enjoyed the roles hes played. Not only did he act well in this film, but he directed it fairly well too. I think that the film noir characteristics were well portrayed, though that the film bordered a horror flick. The acting was great, and I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes film noir or thomas jane. I feel like the film was going somewhere at the end and he just didn't quite get the ending he had hoped for, but loved the film, and all the special effects that remind me of the film noir films of the 1940's.

This movie is small independent gem. Expect no ordinary thriller but rather "Lynch style experience". It seems to start as a ordinary Las Vegas story but it quickly deteriorates into strange thriller and then finally into supernatural thriller that defies rational explanation. It is somewhat similar to "Identity" or "Lost Highway" rather than normal crime thriller.

I like the minimalistic style of the movie combined with unusual camera. The camera effect really do shine in this movie. The movie is a little bit too much "style over substance", but it is still acceptable.

It is definitely worth 1-2 USD rent / cheap buy if you do love supernatural thrillers. If you wish to see "regular Vegas movie" or "regular crime movie", you should rather look elsewhere. You would be seriously disappointed. This movie is really "different". I was really pleasantly surprised by it!

Richard (an excellent performance by Thomas Jane, who also directed) and Gina (a fine portrayal by the fetching Lauren German) are a pair of newlyweds who decide to drive off into the desert on their honeymoon. Things take a surreal turn for the nightmarish after the couple gets lost in some godforsaken nowheresville wasteland.

Jane brings a real dazzling and dynamic cinematic panache to the compellingly strange material: The garish comic book style and Geoff Boyle's slick'n'splashy cinematography suggest an episode of "The Twilight Zone" crossed with an issue of EC Comics with a generous sprinkling of brooding gloomy noir added for good measure, the desolate backwoods locations are put to effectively bleak and stifling use, the pace kicks into manic overdrive in the harrowing second half, the blatant green screen work creates a heightened artificiality which further enhances the overall oddball and unsettling vibe, and the wickedly amusing touches of pitch-black humor serve as the tasty cherry on an already deliciously twisted celluloid cake. Tab Murphy's intriguing abstract script keeps viewers guessing to the end what's truly going on and reaches a bitterly ironic conclusion with Richard trapped in a continual purgatory of his own hideous device. Ron Perlman does well in a sizable secondary role as a cynical state trooper. Not for all tastes, but still recommended for adventurous folks with a hankering for something different and out of the ordinary.

After enjoying television series Hung with Thomas Jane I decided to give this movie a try and it outdid my expectations. I loved it very much! Dark Country is quite different from most current horror movies because it's given a 1950's comic styling as well as film noir elements. The car scenes and landscapes are so beautiful, just like a painting. If you want to enjoy this, you have to open up for the imaginative intention of director, writer and actor Thomas Jane. The movie leans on American archetypes that Alfred Hitchcock also used, like the Good Citizen (gone lost) the Sad Blond, The Cop and even the All American Car and honors American film history and film heroes like Cary Grant and James Stewart.

Well, I am not sure what to think about this movie I had fun looking at it, Lauren German is more than gorgeous, the acting has no flaws, the pace is satisfying, characters are alive, normal, but the place where they are is not . The story is not that original, if you have some practice in mystery thrillers you have a fair chance to guess what is happening long before the end. Could be a remake of some old movie, a good remake anyway. What I liked most is the nice photography of the desert night. Did you ever feel out of space-time looking at a starred sky, undisturbed by city lights? Well, that is the case. As for the 3D, have fun.

I TOTALLY agree with the fellow reviewer here who said that the movie kept reminding him of David Lynch; RIGHT ON mate!!! The VERY first thing that struck me while watching this, and I do mean RIGHT AWAY, literally within the first few minutes in the first scene with the photography of the motel, was the stunning DETAIL and effort that was clearly put into the look and visuals of this film!. WOW! That is precisely what I thought immediately... Just WOW!!! Each shot was like a well thought out composition. Just like Kubrick... I $h*t you not! And, that is just about the same time when I thought 'Ah..., Lynch!' That ALONE throughout the film was enough to set it apart and impress the living hell outta me! I mean, even setting aside the actual story... JUST the bloody look, style, and photography were enough to make me hafta change my pants...

That said... There are some rough edges, which Jane admits during the commentary that bothered him, either due to time or money constraints. I LOVE the understated stylized dialog and acting too. That is likely why many here do not like it. You HAVE to be one who appreciates and enjoys an understated, almost classic FILM NOIR approach to the dialog or you will just think it is stupid.

As you likely can tell by the polarized reviews, this movie really comes down to one's preference and taste. IF you like almost a comic book style and Surreal visuals and a heavy David Lynch-like mood, THEN you will probably very much like this film! But, if that kind of stuff doesn't really 'Do it' for you, then it is likely to leave you flatter than Chaz Bono...

One thing I kept thinking of as they showed the shots of the stars while they were driving, was that it REALLY reminded my of 1950's Science Fiction; which you COULD look at as kind of hokey... But if you dig it... it REALLY adds to the overall Surreal mood of the film.

A great episode of "The Twilight Zone" I would say. Camera movements, assembly, script ... everything in this film seems to be a tribute to the series. Recitation of a good standard, there is rhythm. A great movie entertainment, pleasantly unusual. I started to watch it not so convinced, after reading some reviews, but from the beginning it turn my interest and enjoy me. There are opportunities to smile and, sometimes, to feel a bit of characters panic It is a pity that at more or less at the half of the film is too easy to guess what the history is and the end of the film. Also considered the too much crap propose recently, I give it an 8. Well worth watching.

P.S. It would be great if the user can choose to write review in another language, and not only in English...

not sure what to say about this feature film directorial debut of Thomas Jane who also stars,along with Laura German.it kinda had an Outer Limits vibe going.i liked how it looked,as in the lighting and the the good use of shadows.and the voice over narrative was pretty effective.the actual story itself was very simple and straightforward,and i could see what they were aiming for with the ending,but there's no way to get there without some impossible leaps of logic.but up to that point,it's entertaining.it's short at less than ninety minutes.so it's not like you're losing a big chunk of your life.you could do worse.for me,Dark Country is a 6/10

OK, so it starts off with our main characters Richard and his wife, Gina. These two people have recently got married and are on their way to their honeymoon in Las Vegas. On the way however they hit a man, Bloodyface.

Being Good Samaritan the couple picks up Bloodyface and attempt to take him to the hospital. On the way there Bloodyface attempts to murder Richard and Gina. After a struggle Richard kills Bloodyface leaving the couple with a problem, what are they going to do with the body?

After a lengthy argument the body is buried in the middle of the desert. The couple leave the scene and end up going to a rest stop where they clean themselves up. It is here where Richard discovers that his watch has gone missing and that he must go to the grave where they buried Bloodyface in order to recover it.

Gina, refusing to leave, is left at the rest stop with a gun to protect herself. Richard leaves to recover the watch. When he gets to the grave site he finds that the body is gone. While he is pondering this he hears gun shots in the distance. Richard rushes off back to the rest stop where he does not find Gina. He does however find tracks which leads to a women buried in the ground.

Richard then leaves to find help. He comes across a police officer who agrees to help and takes him back to the crime scene. When they get back there are other cops there and they are digging up several corpses. One of the corpses they dig up is of Gina, they also find Richard's watch with the corpses. In a panic Richard steals a car and runs away. A car chase ensues which ends in a large car crash.

Richard escapes the car crash bloody and mangled when he looks up he sees another car and is hit by it. When he comes to he is in the back of what is apparently his own car. He sees a man and a woman, which in my opinion look exactly like Richard and Gina but I might be crazy. When you see Richard, he looks exactly like Bloodyface and this is how the movie ends.

Now for my analysis of the ending: So what I believe happened is that Richard is stuck in a temporal loop. More or less the reason why there are so many dead women at the rest stop is because that's how many times the loop has happened thus far. What I believe is happening is that once Richard becomes Bloodyface he sees himself and his wife. Knowing what is going to happen he tries to kill himself, aka the new Richard, to stop it from happening again. And so far it has failed each time. But the question that arises is why? Why does Bloodyface try to kill Richard? Why doesn't he just go on his merry way? Why does he kill Gina? Why, Why, Why? The ending is open for interpretation but this is mine.

I give this movie a 2/10. It is bad movie, with a bad plot, with a confusing ending. The special effects are very unrealistic, the characters are emotionless 90% of the time. More or less, if you read my summary then you know the entire plot, if there even is a plot. Like seriously the plot is not introduced until the last 30 minutes, or at least it seems that way. So my final verdict, read the summary, don't watch the movie.

I was watching this movie and I started to get bored, but I stayed on, because I thought it would be hypocritical of me to chew on the fast formula movies and not appreciate slow buildup. But the problem is, all the buildup has to build up to something, and there was nothing there.

I agree the feel was nice, it reminded me of those old policier books from my childhood, but there was no solvable mystery, no underlying wonder and the twist at the end just made no sense whatsoever.

The thing is, I kind of like Thomas Jane, and I understand if he is more of an actor than a director, still, he could have chosen a better story. And man, that blond chick was annoying.

I was expecting so much less! I'm sure that sounds terrible as a first line but let's be realistic...a B (or C) list actor has his directorial debut, and it goes straight to DVD? Yep, when I saw it for 4 bucks, I figured I'd see if it was entertaining enough to be worth the few dollars. What a shock! Though I guessed the "twist" early on, my wife (who is usually right and I'm usually wrong about such things) got us on a roller-coaster of a dozen possible plot twists...this had hints of Hitchcock movies and Twilight Zone episodes, mixed with a bit of the Tarantino/Rodriguez/Miller flavor of more recent films noir. I haven't underestimated the likely entertainment, suspense, and overall value of a movie this much in years. I will tell you this, though...if you expect tons of effects and blockbuster styling, you'll be disappointed. But if this type of movie (and the nostalgia of creepy suspense without all of the Hollywood hype) is up your alley, you're going to LOVE it! I know they made a "Twilight Zone" movie, but if they hadn't, this would have been the perfect submission for a full-length feature under that banner!

This film reminds me a lot of David Lynch's 'lost highway'. The cinematography and general feel is quite similar.

Right from the start I was thinking to myself that it felt like I was watching some kind of lynch film right until I got to the end..

It ends exactly the same!! One big loop..coincidence?? Lol

I dunno, I definitely think it borrowed heavily from lynch films and In particular lost highway. That aside, it wasn't bad, worth a watch.. If I didn't keep comparing it to lynch in my head I'd probably be more fond of it.

Either way still recommend a watch.

First off, you know what this movie looks like?

Imagine picking up a shattered egg that had just now fallen out of an eagle's nest. And inside, you see this half-formed, or in this case, nearly nearly complete fetus, but not just fetus, another two, three days THIS would have been a little eagle.

This movie would never have been a super-big colossal mainstream hit, but it could have been an eagle amongst other cult movies...

...but something went wrong. Listening to the DVD commentary just adds fuel to this suspicion. It is as their budget ran out, the time limits, something. Some plug was pulled. The egg was shattered and the chick is not properly formed yet. But what there is of the chick, it would have been some eagle.

Instead, it kinda limps as it flies.

There are so many mistakes, if you'd honk a car horn for each and every one, it would be a virtual cacophony.

Let me just say, as I started off watching, I thought I LIKE THIS... THIS I'M GONNA GIVE A 10.

(I tend not to be too thrilled with my movies. I collect them for the sake of the pretty actresses and I am that way stuck in a trend that means they're kinda Bumsville and it soon shows as you watch. I'm trying to say few movies win me over in an instant. This one very very soon had me thinking WOW this is promising LOOK AT THAT PRETTY GIRL - Lauren German you are a vision, you are a little goddess, Lauren MERE WORDS CAN'T DO YOU JUSTICE - hell, waking up and you are married to THAT ONE? Is not exactly a fate worse than death. Oh, okay, gotta get back on track.... Also, the way the titles appear, grand graphic novel style, settle in for the ride of your life...

I just wanna say that besides looking AWESOME, Lauren gives a wonderfully convincing acting performance. Critics praise Thomas Jane? Aw pshaw! It's Lauren! Lauren in the trailer made me buy this movie (which I'd never heard of before) and Lauren is worth it ALL THE WAY. Her screen presence is magnificent and I consider her ONE OF THE VERY BEST I'VE EVER SEEN ON FILM...

...and people, I am that fool fan boy here on IMDb known as The Raven, a laughable little critter, but people, I know what I am talking about, I am a man of taste, not ashamed of admitting what I like LIKE SO MANY ENVIOUS ONES OUT THERE.

Let's just all admit in: Lauren is a Class A dream-girl, and that old Dodge speeding along the deserted highway (er, deserted road that used to be a highway, whatever) = the stuff that dreams are made of. To bring in some story to give it suspense, we have the nightmare intruding upon paradise.

But the problem is: Too much nightmare.

It's all ruined by the overplaying of the Bloodyface character, who plays the misery of his situation not like a severely hurt human but like an alien in a grotesque rubber mask.

This movie fails because of shoddy bodywork done to the vehicle. It ultimately needed only a glossy coat over that purring engine.

It didn't get it.

For shame.

I'm sure some exec guys in accounting were to blame. It was a money thing.

Stupid.

Stupid stupid shame.

I've read the other comments about this film and many people just didn't get it. I do admit this film is not for everyone, which is probably why it was made as an indie film rather than a main stream picture.

Dark Country was a very well directed and well acted film. Now saying that, I do have to say it would have done better as a twilight zone episode or an episode of The Outer Limits. The film's star Thomas Jane does a great job acting and I don't know if many people know this but he also directed the movie. Seeing that Dark Country was his first directing gig I have to say I think he has great potential to be an excellent director. Not many people can make a film this interesting on their first time out.

Some people are comparing Dark Country to a David Lynch film, that's ridicules. Lynch movies rarely have a coherent story line you can follow, Dark Country does.

Overall, Dark Country may be a little strange but if you're a person who likes challenging mysteries, you'll really enjoy this.

I'm not sure if this movie had caught my eye unless Thomas Jane had directed it. I always find it interesting when an actor with some fame goes behind camera. I think Thomas Jane succeeds pretty well, the movie holds itself together all the way.

Not gonna go much into the plot, but it does indeed play a bit like a Twilight Zone episode as some others have mentioned. To speak the truth, I didn't quite understand how the movie eventually unfolded, but it was fun to watch. Probably isn't even meant to be explainable.

The noirish style works quite well. A somewhat similar look has been popular recently and it's easy to guess the budget has been tight on this one. There are many many shots, where you can see the green screen through hair or the darks just don't match up. Despite the sloppy post production, there are some nice visual ideas without going over the top with visual trickery and the noirish atmosphere works.

There are basically only two actors (three if you count Perlman) and they both do a decent job. Lauren German is quite a chameleon it seems. She never looks the same, yet she resembles so many other actresses. She's very capable of pulling of different roles, really looking forward to watch her career go sky high.

The movie is something you'd expect to see from someone graduating from a film school. It's still got the fun factor, it doesn't take itself too seriously. It feels more as if the crew made the movie for themselves rather than the audience, and that's how art should be done.

I'm still giving only 5, because it really is not a classic, even tho it's a fun little indie movie. Five here doesn't mean it's a bad movie, there's just so many better ones that I can't justify a higher score.

So many problems with this movie. First of all the story made no sense whatsoever. It's almost as if they were following the book then realized there was no ending. When they realized there was no ending they gave up and figured we can let the audience make one up. The atmosphere of the movie was a little creepy and they really could have built off of this. But they had to ruin it with a terrible selection of music. The score did not complement the atmosphere the creators had captured. The acting was nothing memorable but was better than most "F list" movies. I went with a 4 as this movie is a step up from watchable but it will leave you with a troubling feeling of "What were they thinking?".

Ya gotta love tom jane,the guy makes some seriously cool movies.hes gotta taste for great genre films,"mutant chronicles","the punisher","the tripper",the bad ass "the mist",the criminally underrated "killshot" & "stander".I kept an eye out for this one,wasn't surprised when it didn't hit theaters,(not a remake).Really wish these studios would stop screwing around and release more risky stuff like this,instead of dumping them on DVD.The film was meant to be seen in 3-d,and for once i wish i could see a film in that format. for a film made to be 3-d,the visuals don't feel forced at all,they actually kinda flow with the story.I was pleasantly surprised by how good it looked in 2-d, would love to see it on the big screen.the story was kinda twilight zone-ish and worked well.genre films and suspense films have a certain formula they all follow.this one takes some of those moments you are programmed to expect and throws you a curve.nicely done.

this entire movie reminded me of sin city and film noir flicks...it just had that kind of lighting and narrative to go with it...how do i explain how this film was.....except that it was indeed one heck of a long ride out of las vegas...it was dull but i guess coz it had the guy from The Mist and a cameo from hellboy, i beard thru it thinking soon enough, the plot is gonna pick up and its gonna have a trippy twist at the end...it did have a twist and somewat i kind of guessed but in no way does it explain some missing plot holes...

i can only say i appreciated the film as an attempt at different type of cinematography but this is something which i can only watch once...ooo what a long ride this was and i rather face a roller coaster than another trip like this.

You enjoy from first to last second. Thank you Sakis.

The first thing you will notice about this movie is it's style. It takes a few minutes to get used to the pseudo-film noire feel and the interesting camera work. In the end you may feel as though you've been watching an episode of The Twilight Zone, or Tales From the Dark Side. Welcome this feeling- it is the only way to really embrace the computer enhanced darkness that fills this movie.

For the most part the acting is solid. Thomas Jane is pulling double duty as both lead actor and director, a difficult task for anyone (watch almost any Branagh film), and in this case it works. You can tell he feels very comfortable working with his surroundings, co-stars and cameras. Lauren German never really seems to find her stride in this movie but I'm willing to blame the writer for never making any very solid decisions as to her character. And Ron Perlman is just sort of there, being Ron Perlman. Which is fine, if you like Ron Perlman.

I'm guessing this script was pulled from the trash by whoever owns rights to use as a proving ground for an untested production crew in case they flopped and destroyed a valuable script. Everyone involved ends up doing a competent job but this script is worthless.Disappointment sets in and Blame rests on Tab Murphy,writer, who is developmentally challenged and can only squeak by in his career as a children's writer. He attempts to hide this fact until the bitter end when it becomes painfully obvious, behind Twilight Zone-esque mystery and foreshadowing that promises a reveal and twist ending that does more than fall completely flat rather shamefully exposing absolutely nothing and Tab Murphy in a way it's painful to watch. I can't imagine why Tab Murphy submitted this script, beyond he's desperate for money and was hoping for a check for the company to hold rights but never produce this, Is a masochist, Or he's developmentally challenged and doesn't understand how to write a Twilight Zone episode and seriously doesn't understand why this doesn't work. Still worth a watch as everyone else involved comes through to tell the story Tab forgot.

I found this to be a rather enjoyable film. When I first began watching this I was initially struck with the impression that it was going to be a bit cheesy and the way it was shot seemed to come off as tacky low budget green screen work. As the movie progressed, I began to realize that all the things that seemed sorta off were purposeful. It then became a enjoyable watch that has a really nice late 50's to late 60's feel to it. Think of how Marion looked while driving to the Bates Motel in Psycho. That sort of screen work is present in this film. I found it really creative and loved watching it. The story has a Twilight Zone feel but could've been a bit more solid and there were times when I didn't think the actors were playing off each other all that great. Overall, I liked it but this is probably not going to be a film for everyone. In my opinion. the visual concept must be embraced and understood to enjoy it.

Plot wasn't the strongest side of that movie. In fact, there was few of it. However background and setting where quite intriguing.

Night landscapes of the desert, impressive starry skies and mysterious lights behind the scenes were absorbing my attention and didn't let me get bored, despite late night time when I watched the film. Also old cars were adding some of the flavor.

As for the story itself, it was not much complicated, and quite predictable, so that can be counted as a disadvantage. It was mainly played by two actors who did quite well.

Not a great movie, but still worth watching.

Thomas Jane directs a film that shows more promise than actual success. Its a Noirish tale about a honeymooning couple who who accidentally run over a man staggering in the desert, stop to help him only to have everything go horribly wrong when the man turns on them. From that point on it's a descent into hell as things get complicated on every level.

Give Thomas Jane points for making a good looking film. Give him a few more for getting some really good performances from all the actors. Unfortunately he looses a few for making an often tedious film. The pace of the film is often so slow that the film would cause you to nod off if you didn't want to know what happens. I don't know if the conclusion was worth the ride, but it kept me watching. Thats about all I can say.

Worth a look, but I'd wait for cable.