Tyler Russell’s Texas Cotton is inoffensive entertainment about the nefarious goings-on in the small town of La Coste, Texas. It seems the crops, mainly cotton, of La Coste mysteriously die off season after season. When the farms fail, wealthy Mayor Kane buys them up from the farmers, who are grateful for his help in their time of need. His philanthropy is touching. Nothing fishy there at all, no siree.
Police Sergeant Travis Delmore, known as Del to everyone, is an aging lawman in a decades-old groove of serving and protecting and hanging out at the diner. He is kind and well loved, and seemingly the last honest person in town, beset on all sides by those who are either corrupt, stupid, or both.
When the overbearing mayor foists his loyal idiot Barney Shanks off on Del as the new deputy, Del spends his time trying to keep Barney from hurting himself. On his first day Barney Fife (er Shanks, rather) radios in that he’s caught a suspicious stranger spraying something on a farm’s crops.
“…seemingly the last honest person in town…”
Del rolls up and what follows is a bumbling clusterfuck of a shoot-out where Barney accidentally hits a chemical barrel. Instead of springing a leak it detonates setting off all the other barrels in a noisy conflagration. They arrest the man, who is known only as Joe and says he’s a horticulturist (the longest word in the script), and take him in, kicking off the great “sprayer” scandal of La Coste.
The film is a drama, sprinkled with (hopefully intentional) humor. Coen-esque repartee includes the townspeople repeatedly referring to the man as “that sprayer” as if that’s a crime we should all be familiar with. It starts as an odd quirk and becomes more comical with every serious deadpan repetition.
Del investigates “the sprayer” situation. When things don’t seem to be adding up for Del, He stumbles upon what should be the worst kept secret in town about the chemicals being sprayed on the crops. This revelation near the end of the film is good for a horrified laugh.
George Hardy delivers authentically as Del, and the rest of the cast turn in good, if not great, performances.
Texas Cotton echoes the style of many western-set films that have gone before. Russell blends crime drama, country humor, and cornpone indie-style into a crackerjack of a fun movie.
Texas Cotton (2018) Directed by Tyler Russell. Written by Jameel Khaja. Starring George Hardy, Merritt Bennett, Vincent Berger, Jamie Callahan.
7 out of 10
This film starts out as Andy of Mayberry but the plot thickens into a British formula mystery. George Hardy is a very believable Texas lawman. Jason Douglas is a full of himself small town mayor. Jud Lorman is a prosecutor and when the prosecutor and the mayor are in court together you can’t help but reminisce of those to actors in their scene in Jack Reacher. But in this film they both have significant parts and it is easy to see what great actors they are. Gene Jones also gets to show his stuff much more so than he did in No Country for Old Men.
The plot of this movie requires you to really concentrate for it to make sense. If you put forth the effort it is a great mystery, if you don’t you won’t get it.
The cinematography is great and the sound track is true Texas. Mike and the Moon Pies “You can’t fun out on me” is a real red dirt sensation, too bad it didn’t get mor play
This may be one of the worst movies ever filmed in Texas. “Blood Simple” it ain’t. I want my two hours back. Excruciatingly bad…
Leornard and the one that wrote this article must have something against Texas because this movie may not win an academy award, but I don’t agree with more than half of their choices anyway.
There’s nothing wrong with this movie, in fact
I’ve seen much worse. A lot of times the critic’s rave about the WORST movies and hate on the better choices, especially if they’re not profane enough.
Most of the actors are at least decent. Two or three are downright good actors.