Downeast

It’s a wonder how someone raised in the tri-state area, like Raffa, could capture the lifeforce and breathe of Maine without growing up under the shadow of the whoopee pie. His secret is the screenplay co-written by lead actor Greg Finley, who is a native of Maine and the filmmaker. Finley sets up a world for Raffa to flesh out that feels intrinsically of the place it is set. It also takes place in the winter, which is Maine’s primary season, lasting some eight months out of the year. Summer is a face full of mosquitos while you grab what money you can from the visitors, and it is gone in a flash.

Three cheers for Edwin Pendleton Stevens’s stunning cinematography as his elegant compositions could make up a wicked thick coffee table book, with his shot of seagulls perched on the old brick buildings that line the harbors on the cover. Setting the story in the drug trade also brings to light the daily life of many Mainers, as the summer folk needs their fix but not as severely as the locals do. Speaking of locals, Raffa put all the names of the extras in Downeast in the closing credits, just like he did with Dark Harbor. Class, pure class.

“…an excellent mob movie with powerhouse performances…”

Greg Finley is a handsome guy who is built like a Clydesdale horse, which must be limiting for roles available to really show your range. So he did what Sylvester Stallone did in the same situation and wrote the perfect vehicle for himself. Tommy is a big fellah who could smash you flat but is haunted to the core. You see the weight of his burdens in his face and movement, and you feel Tommy’s helplessness against the local criminal kingdom despite his massive size. It’s a role with great opportunities, and Finley works them all to the hilt.

Silver plays Emma down to the bone realistic, with a natural performance that speaks truth to the character’s situation. Mills adds dimensions to Kerrigan that you don’t usually get with Irish Mob boss roles. There is a self-reflexive air around how he approaches the brutality he needs to employ in order to maintain control. He gets to be vulnerable when confronted by the forces of the North End, who he is helpless against. Joss Glennie-Smith, as enforcer Brennan, personifies the evil behind the walls of the town. His performance brings a reptilian glow to his horrible acts onscreen. If you want to know why everyone in the city keeps their mouth shut about what is going on, just look at this guy; he is scary.

Downeast is an excellent mob movie with powerhouse performances set on the icy edge of the world. It is both bitter and sweet, just like life in Maine or black coffee with Humpty Dumpty BBQ chips. It is well shot, swiftly paced, exciting, and just a wee bit chilling. Few films would dare approach Maine in the winter and come out alive, much less with such a wicked fine cinematic journey as this.