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Cast: Hal Holbrook, Ray McKinnon, Walton Goggins, Mia Wasikowska, Carrie Preston, Barry Corbin, Dixie Carter, Barlow Jacobs, Anthony Reynolds, Bruce McKinnon
Frustrated with being confined to a nursing facility, Abner Meecham (Hal Holbrook) breaks out and walks all the way back to his farm. When he realizes his biggest enemy (Ray McKinnon) now lives in his house, Abner devises a plan to reclaim what rightfully belongs to him.
For me the cast alone was reason enough to check out this Southern drama but what I got from it was so much more. The story is about Abner who was talked into going to a nursing home by his son, Abner feels abandoned and one day decides to just up and leave and go back to his farm house. What Abner doesn't expect to find is that the house is now being lived in by an old time enemy, so what he decides to do is stick around and reclaim what is rightfully his. The film not only evokes small-town farm life in the South but is also focuses on a few close relationships involved in the struggle of an old man to live out his last days with dignity. This is not a feel good story but instead it's a tense, dramatic and often suspenseful film that delivers on everything from it's settings, cinematography and it's characters who you easily feel for in one way or another. I felt for this older man from the film's opening frames, this is man that just wants to live out the rest of his life in his home, the place him and his wife, who he still dearly misses lived together in for so many years. Hal Holbrook gives an Oscar-worthy performance here, this is what powerful acting is all about, you can feel the pain and anger in his performance, a truly amazing job and one I hope he is proud of because I have never seen him better. The film is not without a terrific supporting cast either, Ray McKinnon is amazing as the son of an old family enemy, Lonzo Choat. He does a fantastic job matching Holbrook's performance and together they create one of the best on screen duels I have seen in some time. The film also co-stars Walton Goggins as Abner's son, Paul, and Holbrook's real-life wife, Dixie Carter, as Abner's spouse, Ellen.
There's a lot of emotion flying around in the film and you feel all of it, That Evening Sun has easily found a spot in my top five movies I have seen so far this year and it is a film that should not be missed by anyone that loves cinema. I'm not going to go into any major details about what happens in the film simply because everyone has to see it to truly understand how wonderful and powerful a film it is so I will finish by saying pick this up today, you are not going to be disappointed. It is refreshing to see that great movies are still being made today. The DVD and Blu-ray both come with Special Features that include:
Trailer
Cast and Crew Interviews
Making-Of Featurette
Audio Commentary
Released by Image Entertainment
You can Pre-order the DVD HERE and the Blu-ray HERE.
Released by Image Entertainment
***** Out Of *****