Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
A thriller that follows two siblings who decide to fend for themselves in the wake of a botched casino heist, and their unlikely reunion during another family's Thanksgiving celebration.
Deadfall is a competently made but ultimately unremarkable neo-noir thriller. The plot mechanics—botched heist, siblings on the run, converging storylines at a family gathering—feel derivative and overly convenient, with character motivations that strain credibility. The ensemble cast (Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde, Charlie Hunnam, Sissy Spacek, Kris Kristofferson) delivers serviceable to occasionally strong performances, elevating material that is otherwise thin. The wintry Michigan landscape is captured with some atmospheric flair, giving the film a cold, bleak visual texture that suits its tone. Novelty is low—the crime-gone-wrong genre is well-trodden and this entry adds little distinctive to it. The Thanksgiving convergence feels forced rather than clever, and the ending resolves conflicts too neatly for the grim world the film establishes.