Uncle John (2015)

hyped garbage

A Masterpiece!

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Uncle John is a movie where there is quite a bit of suspense. The suspense is built up by the use of the camera and by the play of assumptions. For example, at the start of the movie, the camera shows that a man is stumbling to the end of a dead-end and he walks into the river whilst another man is following him. The camera does not zoom in on the scab on the back of the victim's head but the second man behind him is carrying a paddle - which looks like the weapon that caused the death of the first man. As the story unfolds the camera focuses on micro dialogues which zooms in on details. For example, when Uncle John goes to the parking space of Dutch's car, his brother is already sitting there - and says something to the effect of: it is known that killers often come back to the place they placed false evidence or where they killed their victims. Dutch's brother then stares at Uncle John. It seemed obvious to me Dutch's brother was aware Uncle John was the killer. The use of the bonfire and the isolation of people in small towns added to the setting.

I tried to give this movie a chance. It started off well, but the story just dragged on, and I felt like I was watching paint dry... There was an opportunity by the director, or the writer to make this movie more interesting to viewers by expanding on the back story of several characters mentioned in the movie and how they connected with the main character. If they had done that, it certainly would have made the movie more interesting and would have given viewers a clearer story as to why the main character, made the choices he made. To me, that missing information, was the key to the entire story and it wasn't told... at all. Thus making the film as a whole, hollow!

Although this movie can be a bit slow and the two plots may seem to be polar opposites at first. They come together and the film becomes deeper. This picture demonstrates what could be going on at your neighbors house. I loved the quaintness, the true location shooting and how real the film seems due to the low budget. The main characters act fairly well, but there are some flaws in the supporting actors. John Ashton was great as Uncle John and portrayed the character's turmoil and quiet strengths very well. The nephew, played by Alex Moffat, was upbeat and witty and took the movie in a different direction with his quest for love. I think the film is a great movie for buffs or people flipping through the independent section of Netflix. Don't expect gore or moments of suspense. This movie is strictly about cause and effect.

This is a response to the reviewer who said that the film did a good job depicting rural Illinois. The small town is set in Wisconsin. Uncle John's truck has Wisconsin plates and filming was done in Lodi Wisconsin which is probably a 2 hour 45 minute drive from downtown Chicago.Sauk Prairie Recreation Area is an actual place northwest of Lodi. Devil's Lake is not far from there so there is actual terrain with bluffs similar to the one that Uncle John visits, which is likely the site where Dutch killed John's sister Dede (Ben's mother). We know she fell to her death there and supposedly jumped. The motive for John killing Dutch may very well have been a confession by Dutch that he killed her. There was a comment made in the movie that Dutch had been 'snaking' Dede which suggests that he was pursuing her but that they likely did not have a relationship.Danny telling John that Dutch told him Dede jumped because maybe she was overwhelmed by being a mom may have been a way for Danny to try to get John to reveal something.I don't think it was clear anywhere that John's sister was actually married to Dutch or that he was the father of Ben since it was Uncle John that raised Ben.Agree that the film did a good job depicting a small Wisconsin community.