Sometimes indie films can be a little self indulgent and wayward but not so here. This is an assured and confident piece of work from a first time feature director and I will be looking out for more of his work.

Essentially a one set multi player piece held together by some taut direction and solid performances by Dale & Mulkey in particular, which doesn't try to be too clever.

The opening scenes place us in an unfolding story without exposition and treats the audience as intelligent beings who will follow along and listen and learn - great

THE STANDOFF AT SPARROW CREEK is another awful thriller limited by an indie budget and extremely sub-par writing and direction. It's set in a pitch black warehouse, where various armed militiamen are holed up and attempting to work out who's been behind a scheme of civil disturbance. Essentially RESERVOIR DOGS then, but made without Taraninto's trademark style and wit, instead a drawn out and tedious affair punctuated by the usual low key violence and torture. Actors like James Badge Dale and Chris Mulkey have been very good elsewhere, and they really do deserve better than this.

A shooting at a police funeral with an automatic weapon causes the local militia to muster at their warehouse. When they inventory their weapons, they discover an AR-47 is missing, raising suspicions that one of them is the shooter. Former policeman, Gannon (James Badge Dale) who is a part of the group, interrogates everyone in an attempt to find the culprit. There is also an undercover cop in the group.

Most of the film is a warehouse drama with not much action other than a malfunctioning motion detector light. The film attempts at a conspiracy theme or "food for thought." but I thought it mostly nonsense.

Well acted, but not an action film.

Guide; f-word. No sex or nudity