No, I haven't read James Lee Burke's short story "Winter Light," but I have seen the latest cinematic adaptation of it. Writer & director Julian Higgins' above-average revenge epic" God's Country" amounts to a slow-burn, seven-day melodrama with a female "John Wick" of sorts to handle the hard stuff. Thandiwe Newton stars as our conscientious, middle-aged protagonist, Sandra Guidry, who has recently relocated from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Crescent City. Ultimately, she moved to Montana with his elderly mother to accept a tenure-track position at a local college as a speech teacher. Not surprisingly, Sandra is a fish out of water as the only African American professor in a largely Caucasian college. Not only does her mom--homesick for New Orleans--die early in the film, but also our heroine tangles with two Neanderthal redneck outdoorsmen, Nathan (Joris Jarsky of "Empire of Dirt") and Samuel (Jefferson White of "Yellowstone"), who park their two-door, red pickup truck on Sarah's property without her permission. These reprobates are blue-collar, deer hunters. Initially, Sandra leaves them a note, which they ignore, shred it, and come back for more hunting. When Sandra complains to the local authorities, acting Deputy Sheriff Gus Wolf (Jeremy Bobb of "Godless") seems reluctant to arrest these guys. He claims it will do nothing more than escalate an already out of hand predicament. Gus informs her that he lacks the required manpower to serve all the warrants and maintain the status quo. Indeed, he is only one of two detectives in a 300-mile radius. As it turns out, Sandra served as a New Orleans' police woman, but she saw too much of the corruption in the town and cleared out to Montana. The icy reception she receives prompts her to tow their vehicle the next time they trespass on her property. They shoot an arrow into her front door. Yes, Sandra lives in the middle of nowhere, with her university Department Head residing close by. Later, after Gus approaches both men, they resume their hunting, but they park with the permission of her department head on his property. Julian Higgins conjures up considerable suspense with his slow-burn thriller that hinges on revenge. Eventually, these villains escalate their feud with Sandra. Not only do they burn down her house, but they also kill her pet dog. The ending has Sandra showing up at Samuel's house with a pump action shotgun. She strolls inside and cuts loose with the weapon. Blam! Blam! Abruptly, "God's Country" comes to an end, but it is an above-average revenge thriller that will have you gnashing her teeth and awaiting for comeuppance that Sandra's adversaries so richly deserve.
Review of God's Country
