Death in Texas (2020)

Directed by: Scott Windhauser | 97 minutes | action, drama | Actors: Bruce Dern, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Clark Harris, Daniel Steven Gonzalez, Veronica Burgess, Lara Flynn Boyle, Craig Nigh, Sam Daly, Rocko Reyes, Neyla Cantu, Stephen Lang, Cher Cosenza, Mike Foy, John Ashton

Death in Texas is an unsurprising crime film from writer and director Scott Windhauser. In his latest work, the filmmaker saddles us with lead character Billy (Ronnie Gene Blevins), who has just been released from prison and is visiting his persistent mother Grace (Lara Flynn Boyle). Billy promises his mother to stay on the straight and narrow, but when Grace is diagnosed with a deadly liver condition, Billy finds himself at a crossroads. Should he simply stand on the sidelines and wait for his mother to die, or should he again go down the criminal path to raise money for her? Billy’s choice is easy to guess, as are the consequences of his choice. It amounts to an old-fashioned game of bloodshed.

The cast of ‘Death in Texas’ is quite plausible and suggests that there is a certain appeal behind the film. In addition to Twin Peaks actress Lara Flynn Boyle, there are also roles for Stephen Lang and Bruce Dern. What exactly did these talented actors see in this film? Under no circumstances could the script have been the deciding factor. Scott Windhauser’s bold directing perhaps? No, neither. But then what? Well, in all probability it comes down to pure profit. That is of course a plus for them. As a viewer, however, you are left with the baked pears.

Much of ‘Death in Texas’ is spent on Billy’s character development. As viewers, we must believe that he can transform himself from an unpredictable criminal to a rehabilitated mother’s child within a short period of time. This turnaround feels unrealistic. Billy’s development remains largely out of the picture, preventing a genuine character arc to take place. Moreover, Billy is not a pleasant main character at all. He is rude, violent and unreliable. When he is in mortal danger, we are unable to give anything to his fate. Billy is an extremely shallow character to the very end.

The other three players are mother Grace (Boyle), the deeply religious widower John (Lang) and the murderous drug lord Reynolds (Dern). Unlike Ronnie Gene Blevins, Boyle and Lang genuinely do their best with the material obtained. Their dialogues, however, are so horribly bad that genuine emotion kills at all times. Bruce Dern does better in that regard. Let there be no doubt: Dern is horribly lousy in his role as the maniacal antagonist. Yet he manages to achieve more than his fellow players. How? He doesn’t care about anyone and plays his role completely over the top. It results in an enjoyable, yet pitiful villain role. Dern’s acting is the only memorable aspect of a film that is clichéd to the bone.