Evenhand

Rating:
Summary: Police Work As Seen From The Inside Out
Review: Evenhand tells the story of a newly joined partnership of two patrol car police officers in the rural (fictional) town of San Lovelis, Texas. One of the officers, Ted Morning, is a long-standing, hard core member of the force. He is paired up with a transfer, Bob Francis, who makes it a point to mention straight away that he is not a rookie, just a new addition to the San Lovelis staff. But as we get to know this duo as they go about their daily routine of dealing with domestic violence, car wrecks, armed robbery, and drug violations, it quickly becomes clear that next to Officer Morning Bob Francis seems the less experienced if for no other reason than he possesses a conscience. Although Morning's effectiveness as a cop is portrayed by director Joseph Pierson as an epiphenomenon of his 'primitive' relation to the citizens on his beat, it is the internal struggle Francis faces as he responsibly attempts to discharge his obligation as a police officer while contending with the moral conflicts inherent to wielding authority through force that sustains the narrative tension of this engrossing film. The relationship between the two men (played to perfection by actors Bill Sage and Bill Dawes) is also explored in depth, with particular emphasis on the way in which opposing personalities equilibrate as a function of time. This aspect of the film was handled by Pierson with exceptional care, precision and skill. The impact, in fact, is almost documentarian in its capacity to represent realistically the way in which conflict between people inevitably transforms each participant; subtly at first, then increasingly dramatically as the individuals involved interact within the singular emotional field produced by virtue of their entirely unique confrontation. Evenhand is a splendid example of psychological drama enacted on a small scale. Its perspicacious lens on human dilemma and strife will, however, stay with a viewer longer, and more tenaciously, than its scale gives reason to expect. My compliments to Sundance Channel for making this thought-provoking, lovingly crafted film available to cable television viewers.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional film
Review: I caught this movie on the Sundance Channel one night. It's a great study of two small force officers working the streets of a small Texas town. Besides depicting reality, it's also excellant film making.

Rating:
Summary: I bought it for the Mike Doughty music / interview, but...
Review: I must admit, my main goal in purchasing this movie was to hear Mike Doughty (former frontman for Soul Coughing) finally get some airplay in a movie. I started watching with the bad feeling this was going to be a purchase with no redeeming values other than to catch a few songs. I was pleasantly mistaken.

The main detraction for me in this movie ended up being the horrible sound quality. I have never had a DVD that I had to turn my tv up to the maximum volume to even make out what was being said. At one point in the movie the lips and the audio very obviously don't match for about a minute (see the second scene with the abusive wife). The splicing in of music seemed to be done at varying levels. All in all it was a total pain attempting to understand what was being said. I'm not an audio freak (my TV goes to 63) so perhaps it sounds better on a better system.

After the first 10 minutes of the movie I was ready to end it, after the first 20 minutes of the movie I was enthralled. This was one of the best movies I've never heard of. Well acted (except for the first domestic abuse scene), with some really odd messages thrown in about abuse of power that I still am thinking about the next day.

Rating:
Summary: I bought it for the Mike Doughty music / interview, but...
Review: I must admit, my main goal in purchasing this movie was to hear Mike Doughty (former frontman for Soul Coughing) finally get some airplay in a movie. I started watching with the bad feeling this was going to be a purchase with no redeeming values other than to catch a few songs. I was pleasantly mistaken.

The main detraction for me in this movie ended up being the horrible sound quality. I have never had a DVD that I had to turn my tv up to the maximum volume to even make out what was being said. At one point in the movie the lips and the audio very obviously don't match for about a minute (see the second scene with the abusive wife). The splicing in of music seemed to be done at varying levels. All in all it was a total pain attempting to understand what was being said. I'm not an audio freak (my TV goes to 63) so perhaps it sounds better on a better system.

After the first 10 minutes of the movie I was ready to end it, after the first 20 minutes of the movie I was enthralled. This was one of the best movies I've never heard of. Well acted (except for the first domestic abuse scene), with some really odd messages thrown in about abuse of power that I still am thinking about the next day.

Rating:
Summary: Behind the Badge of a Superb Film
Review: I saw Evenhand at the 2003 Florida Film Festival in Orlando, and I was impressed on so many levels. The scenes pulse with the conflict two street cops face moment by moment each shift, twenty-four hours a day. Director Joseph Pierson uses a poor section of San Antonio Texas to create the fictional San Lovisa as the backdrop for a storyline that reflects the good and the bad as artfully as a street mural can from a stuccoed city wall.

On the surface, Officer Ted Morning (Bill Sage) is a bad cop. He arrests without question. His "psychic" instinct, not some judge, decides who is guilty. His newly assigned partner, Rob Francis (Bill Dawes), the good cop, winces and questions Morning's rashness. Unaffected, Morning advises him, "You want to help people? You arrest them. That's what you do. You're a cop." On the surface, the lines between good cop and bad cop seem not so blurred.

But this film urges you to look past the obvious. Look past the badges of both characters and the story itself. Listen to the music (Joel Goodman, songs by Mike Doughty) that beats with strong bass, cowbells, or a poignant Latino rhythm. Watch carefully the mural that street kids paint throughout the film, which in the end finishes with its own final version of the story. Read the different signs people carry over their shoulders that you might easily mistake as product advertisements if you are just skimming the surface. Look beyond this conversion of diverse messages, and the subtext conveys a cop's greatest dilemma, "You can't be a friend to everyone."

Evenhand arrests and escalates you toward a unified theme when both cops meet juveniles pointing guns with deadly intent. There is no black and white, no clear right and wrong. In the end, we realize that the best cop falls somewhere between the Francis' and Mornings' who monitor our busy and ever-changing streets each hour of every day in the real world.

This is story telling and film making at its best. I'm thrilled to see this wonderful film sponsored and finally available for purchase.

Bravo, and congratulations to all involved in its making!

Rating:
Summary: Behind the Badge of a Superb Film
Review: I saw Evenhand at the 2003 Florida Film Festival in Orlando, and I was impressed on so many levels. The scenes pulse with the conflict two street cops face moment by moment each shift, twenty-four hours a day. Director Joseph Pierson uses a poor section of San Antonio Texas to create the fictional San Lovisa as the backdrop for a storyline that reflects the good and the bad as artfully as a street mural can from a stuccoed city wall.

On the surface, Officer Ted Morning (Bill Sage) is a bad cop. He arrests without question. His "psychic" instinct, not some judge, decides who is guilty. His newly assigned partner, Rob Francis (Bill Dawes), the good cop, winces and questions Morning's rashness. Unaffected, Morning advises him, "You want to help people? You arrest them. That's what you do. You're a cop." On the surface, the lines between good cop and bad cop seem not so blurred.

But this film urges you to look past the obvious. Look past the badges of both characters and the story itself. Listen to the music (Joel Goodman, songs by Mike Doughty) that beats with strong bass, cowbells, or a poignant Latino rhythm. Watch carefully the mural that street kids paint throughout the film, which in the end finishes with its own final version of the story. Read the different signs people carry over their shoulders that you might easily mistake as product advertisements if you are just skimming the surface. Look beyond this conversion of diverse messages, and the subtext conveys a cop's greatest dilemma, "You can't be a friend to everyone."

Evenhand arrests and escalates you toward a unified theme when both cops meet juveniles pointing guns with deadly intent. There is no black and white, no clear right and wrong. In the end, we realize that the best cop falls somewhere between the Francis' and Mornings' who monitor our busy and ever-changing streets each hour of every day in the real world.

This is story telling and film making at its best. I'm thrilled to see this wonderful film sponsored and finally available for purchase.

Bravo, and congratulations to all involved in its making!

Rating:
Summary: Best cop movie of recent years
Review: This movie may be a little slow paced for some,but i found it to be an enjoyable indie film with a very real portrayal of
a day on the job as a cop. It's sort of like watching an episode of "Cops", but you see the officers dealing with what can be the same monotony day after day, domestic disputes,local drug users,mixed with moments of extreme danger that the job can bring. bill sage and bill dawes do a great job of acting in the film as partners with two very different personalities.
whole movie has a very engaging and cool feel to it.definitely the best cop movie i've seen in a long time.