Devolving into B-movie material
The over-the-top operatics of “American Violence” initially read as a parody of such predecessors as “Dead Man Walking,” “The Silence of the Lambs” and every mob movie ever made. But the film, directed by Timothy Woodward Jr. and written by Al Lamada, is no parody.
Denise Richards stars as Dr. Amanda Tyler, a criminal psychologist who is tasked with a last-minute evaluation on the planned execution of death row inmate Jackson Shea (Kaiwi Lyman-Mersereau). Their interview serves as a portal into Shea’s life story, told through flashbacks, of abuse, misery, mobsters and vengeance. Tyler’s aim is to uncover the cause of violence to stop the cycle, and Shea’s history offers no shortage of reasons for his murderous aims.
Though the interactions between doctor and inmate verge on the silly, it’s far more intriguing than the standard-issue crime-murder-prison cycle rendered in Shea’s back story.
New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski pops up as a throwaway thug, Bruce Dern plays a cranky, corrupt prison warden and Michael Paré serves as Jack’s mentor in crime.
It’s crisply shot but suffers from poor, amateurish editing, an overwrought dramatic score and storytelling that fails to compel. The acting, writing and directing of “American Violence” indicate this flick is strictly a B-movie, but its tone is far too self-serious to have any fun with at all.
“American Violence.” Not rated. Running time: 1 hour, 47 minutes. Playing: Sundance Sunset, West Hollywood; Laemmle Monica Film Center, Santa Monica.