Gus Van Sant's Promised Land is an eco film with a difference. Rather than simply condemn big business for any one of its practices, it makes a more constructive point by suggesting that profits do not have to trump ethics. The two can go together.
Matt Damon and Frances McDormand are two middling employees of Global, a $9 billion natural gas company. Their job is to go to towns across America, where there is shale gas, to buy people off in return for their precious resource.
The key to their job is to fit in with the locals – dress, socialise and act like them – so that they can win their confidence. Once they do this, they usually find that people sign their dubious contracts, promising them unimaginable wealth, with gullible gusto.
Their latest victim is an antiquated farming community with a particularly lucrative quantity of gas underneath their lush fields. Unfortunately for Global, despite their backward façade, the people are far from ignorant.
Hal Holbrook plays and is perfect as the wise old voice of opposition. It's amazing how many times he has played this role without it once being uninspiring. As a retired professor, he assertively points out the environmental flaws of fracking (drilling for gas) to Damon, who finds the professor's knowledge and integrity too much to handle.
What makes this challenging viewing is that Damon and McDormand are essentially good people, McDormand more obviously so. They aren't two of Global's heavies; they're small fry. Indeed, they come to this latest town without even knowing the full facts. Damon has trouble reconciling his job with his own background, as he grew up with the sort of townsfolk he's now bamboozling.
Damon is back to the kind of role he does best – cerebral, dialogue- driven and thought-provoking (Good Will Hunting, Dogma, The Talented Mr. Ripley, etc). McDormand gives an atypical performance because she is allowed to be more than simply Damon's female counterpart. Her character is developed and given a story. A nice distraction in the film is seeing her flirt with the local gun store owner (Titus Welliver).
It's a good role for Democrat Damon. He co-wrote and co-produced the film, and it was at one stage meant to be his directorial debut, so this wasn't merely 'a role' for him. The story must resonate with him. The point it makes is to give people facts and choices, not BS and threats.
The otherwise hackneyed story of greedy corporations steamrolling people to maximise profits is given a clever twist (though you'll predict it before the reveal) involving a sprightly young man called Dustin, who rallies the town into opposing Global's onslaught.
A lovely little scene nearing the end makes a wonderful moral point. A young girl is selling lemonade at 25 cents a cup. Damon buys a cup for higher the price, telling the girl to keep the change. The girl refuses the extra change. Damon asks why. The girl points to her sign and says the price is 25 cents. A fair deal is a clear deal. Big business can learn a lot from that little girl.
Matt Damon and Frances McDormand are two middling employees of Global, a $9 billion natural gas company. Their job is to go to towns across America, where there is shale gas, to buy people off in return for their precious resource.
The key to their job is to fit in with the locals – dress, socialise and act like them – so that they can win their confidence. Once they do this, they usually find that people sign their dubious contracts, promising them unimaginable wealth, with gullible gusto.
Their latest victim is an antiquated farming community with a particularly lucrative quantity of gas underneath their lush fields. Unfortunately for Global, despite their backward façade, the people are far from ignorant.
Hal Holbrook plays and is perfect as the wise old voice of opposition. It's amazing how many times he has played this role without it once being uninspiring. As a retired professor, he assertively points out the environmental flaws of fracking (drilling for gas) to Damon, who finds the professor's knowledge and integrity too much to handle.
What makes this challenging viewing is that Damon and McDormand are essentially good people, McDormand more obviously so. They aren't two of Global's heavies; they're small fry. Indeed, they come to this latest town without even knowing the full facts. Damon has trouble reconciling his job with his own background, as he grew up with the sort of townsfolk he's now bamboozling.
Damon is back to the kind of role he does best – cerebral, dialogue- driven and thought-provoking (Good Will Hunting, Dogma, The Talented Mr. Ripley, etc). McDormand gives an atypical performance because she is allowed to be more than simply Damon's female counterpart. Her character is developed and given a story. A nice distraction in the film is seeing her flirt with the local gun store owner (Titus Welliver).
It's a good role for Democrat Damon. He co-wrote and co-produced the film, and it was at one stage meant to be his directorial debut, so this wasn't merely 'a role' for him. The story must resonate with him. The point it makes is to give people facts and choices, not BS and threats.
The otherwise hackneyed story of greedy corporations steamrolling people to maximise profits is given a clever twist (though you'll predict it before the reveal) involving a sprightly young man called Dustin, who rallies the town into opposing Global's onslaught.
A lovely little scene nearing the end makes a wonderful moral point. A young girl is selling lemonade at 25 cents a cup. Damon buys a cup for higher the price, telling the girl to keep the change. The girl refuses the extra change. Damon asks why. The girl points to her sign and says the price is 25 cents. A fair deal is a clear deal. Big business can learn a lot from that little girl.