DVD Review: First Snow

By Frankie Dees Nov 27, 2007, 17:19 GMT

Guy Pearce (Memento, L.A. Confidential), Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly) and JK Simmons (Thank You For Smoking, Spiderman 1-3) star in this intriguing thriller about a man whose life spins out of control after psychic tells him his days are numbered. After his car breaks down in a desolate town, a slick salesman, Jimmy Starks (Pearce), visits a fortune teller (Simmons) to kill some time. But the psychic’s ominous reading sends ...more

Guy Pearce stars as a slickster salesman whose faith in the manipulation of his own life and others is shaken by a fortune teller in this slow-burn thriller directed by first-time director Mark Fergus, one of the writers of last year’s great ‘Children of Men’.

A film that tries hard to remain low-key throughout, maybe or maybe not because of reliance on a small budget, Fergus manages to milk evocative, atmospheric Southwest locations for all their worth.

Surrounding Guy Pearce with a great supporting cast that includes Will Fichtner, J.K. Simmons and Piper Perabo in addition to the unique locations, Fergus fashions a particularly memorable flick despite a lack of big set-pieces.

Pearce is Jimmy Starks, a fast-talking, wheelin’-dealin’ Santa Fe salesman who seems to be in a constant state of selling something or himself. The opening scenes find Starks stranded at a deserted highway stop consisting of a service station and bar where he whittles away his time at the bar while waiting for his car to be fixed.

Working his magic on the bar owner, he seems close to convincing the owner of the meager establishment of his need for a Wurlitzer – a high-end jukebox; an item he’s found a surplus of.

With more time to waste, he spots a dusty old mobile trailer with a fortune teller sign in front of it. A fisherman-cum-psychic (J.K. Simmons of ‘Spider-man’ fame) shows him inside the trailer and proceeds with the reading. After a few random predictions, the psychic ends the reading after a seizure-inducing vision.

Starks, convinced he’s dealing with a good performer and slick salesman like himself is impressed with the show but becomes irritated when the physic gives him his money back and sends him on his way.

Back in the relatively big city, we learn Starks the floor salesman has bigger ambitions of taking off on his own – the jukeboxes being a good start. With solid support from work bud Ed (William Fichtner) and girlfriend Deirdre (Piper Perabo), Starks leads a fairly comfortable life on the cusp of possible bigger and better things.

That is until Starks starts to notice a few long-shot predictions of the desert physic coming true. Paranoia sets in and Starks sets out to find his physic to see the meaning behind his previous truncated reading.

The physic, abiding by certain ethics, remains mum but Starks becomes insistent and the physic finally tells him that death is near – but that he has at least until the first snow. Of course, this bit of news drives the already paranoid Starks into a crazed, whirlwind of suspicion. With anonymous threats, Starks immediately thinks of a past deal gone very wrong that resulted in a past friend going to jail – an ex-pal that just happens to be getting out of prison. Is he the answer to his early demise? Can he avoid his fate?

A thinking-man’s ‘Final Destination’ if you will, I was also reminded of Sam Raimi’s ‘The Gift’ in tone. With a script by director Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, they bring the same genre slow-burn sensibilities that they brought to ‘Children of Men’ although instead of tackling the sci-fi genre, they scrutinize the noir picture through the sun-soaked lens of New Mexico.

Pearce does a great job as always with these type of specific everymen. You see these faux, twinkle-in-their-smile salesmen everywhere - an expensive suit, shoes and watch but driving around in a 10-year old Chevy. Even more gaunt than usual, with long stringy hair, Pearce takes on Starks in a manner that makes his performance an exercise in walking that fine line between making the protagonist too unlikable. The audience never gets a beat on Starks which I guess is intended – but one has to guess why Deidre even bothers?

Obvious complaints would be that the film might play it a bit too low-key – where even the climax of the pic, while tense, moseys on by with no intention of hurrying. A bit more pizzazz might have proven a benefit, but I still feel the film feels confident all the way through with a haunting final image worthy of a bit of conversation.

The film is presented in 2.35: 1 widescreen and is enhanced for widescreen televisions. Unfortunately, there is not much in the way of extras, just a plethora of previews.

Overall, it’s a pic that is destined for obscurity with no flashy gimmicks, marketing or money-shot to drive it into the mainstream. A solid script, direction, locations and strong performances make this a small-time dramatic thriller that comes recommended for fans of early John Dahl i.e. ‘Red Rock West’, ‘The Last Seduction’ or mystery-era Raimi i.e. ‘A Simple Plan’ or ‘The Gift’. Everyone else might want to rent first.

First Snow is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.