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Self-help gurus will tell you that, in order to succeed in life, it’s important to move on from the mistakes of the past and start fresh. But when a former criminal tries to start over in Into the Ashes, he finds that it’s not always easy to escape old mistakes.
Into the Ashes stars Luke Grimes as Nick Brenner—just an average guy who works at an upholstery shop all day and goes home to his wife at night. But when Nick heads out for a hunting weekend with his friend, his past comes back to haunt him. His old crew—led by Sloan (Frank Grillo), who was just released from prison—has decided to come looking for him, to make him pay for the money he stole from them. And when they take away the only thing that matters to him, Nick sets out to get his revenge.
What follows is a tense game of cat and mouse, as Nick—still suffering from a near-fatal gunshot wound—enlists his closest friend to track the crew. His father-in-law, the town’s sheriff, follows close behind, knowing that Nick has disregarded his advice to leave it to the authorities. Unfortunately, though, it takes a long time to get to that point in the action—and there isn’t a whole lot to pull audiences in.
The beginning of the film takes its time in following Nick as he talks with his friend at work, as he comes home to his wife, and as he leaves to spend the weekend in the woods. Meanwhile, Sloan and the rest of the crew gradually close in, following the leads and leaving a bloody trail as they try to find him. It’s all dark and eerie, but, really, not much happens—and the development is minimal, too, which makes it difficult to feel a real emotional connection to Nick and his story.
The burn here is definitely slow. Though the story has potential—and it eventually builds up to a more action-packed conclusion—it takes a little too long to get there. And by the time it does, audiences may have lost interest.
This ruthless story of revenge is dark and tense, and it gradually builds into something that’s heavy and violent. But the extra-slow burn makes it challenging to connect with the characters and the story. So if you do choose to seek it out, you’ll need to be patient.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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