ReelBob: ‘The Standoff at Sparrow Creek’ ★★★
By Bob Bloom
As a kid, I used to go fishing with my father. What I learned is that, depending on what I wanted to catch, I needed the right bait.
In a sense, that maxim is the premise of “The Standoff at Sparrow Creek.”
Gannon (James Badge Dale) is a disillusioned ex-cop who has joined a militia group. He lives alone, isolated in the woods.
One night, hearing multiple rounds of gunfire, he turns on his police scanner and learns of a shooting in which several cops are killed.
He rushes to the warehouse where his militia brethren gather to learn what has been going on.
The shooting, he learns, as various other men enter, happened at a cemetery during a police officer’s funeral.
None of the militia men admits to the shooting, which leads to Gannon being recruited to use his interrogating skills to ferret out the culprit among them.
This taut 88-minute indie feature, which premieres Jan. 18 on digital download and various video-on-demand platforms, is a psychological thriller — a cat-and-mouse feature in which Gannon works to break down his comrades to discover who went rogue.
The process becomes complicated when Gannon learns that one of the members is an undercover cop, whom, out of loyalty, he must protect.
The movie, basically taking place on one indoor set, has a claustrophobic feel, intensified by the one-on-one interactions, as Gannon works to break down the various suspects.
Heightening the drama are reports of several copycat acts of violence across the country, which sends the militia members into a panic. For all their bravado, they are reluctant to be at the epicenter of a new civil war.
Thus, Gannon must accelerate his interrogations, so they can give up the guilty party to the cops — or leave for dead — as a sacrificial lamb.
“The Standoff at Sparrow Creek” is sparked by crackling and lean dialogue that lays the foundation for understanding the various militiamen and their motivations for joining the group.
Writer-director Henry Durham keeps you in suspense, as he easily shifts suspicion — and possible motive — from one suspect to the other. You never feel comfortable pointing a finger at one individual and proclaiming he is the culprit.
Dale is a veteran performer who has mostly been relegated to supporting roles. Here, though, he is memorable as an interrogator who confidently knows what buttons to push to get his suspects to reveal their inner secrets.
His sure-handed turn, abetted by a supporting cast of familiar-faced characters actors, including Brian Geraghty, Chris Mulkey and Robert Aramayo, provides a tension-filled experience that will draw you in.
Durham, unfortunately, cannot sustain his high level of intensity throughout; the film begins to drag and feel a bit repetitious as it draws to the end.
The finale is a bit of a letdown as Gannon realizes he basically has been the worm on the hook from the outset.
Still, during a month in which new releases are slim pickings, “The Standoff at Sparrow Creek” is a feature that can raise your temperature during a cold January night.
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.
THE STANDOFF AT SPARROW CREEK
3 stars out of 4
Unrated, language, violence