All Hat

Though All Hat does possess a number of positive attributes, including several genuinely impressive performances and Paul Sarossy’s sporadically breathtaking cinematography, the film is ultimately lacking in elements designed to hold the viewer’s interest for more than a few minutes at a time. One consequently can’t help but spend much of All Hat‘s running time searching for something (anything) to connect to, and while the film does improve slightly as it progresses, there’s simply no overlooking the convoluted storyline and abundance of underdeveloped characters. Luke Kirby stars as Ray Dokes, a soft-spoken cowboy who emerges from a two-year prison stint to a changed landscape – as a callous land developer (Noam Jenkins’ Sonny Stanton) is attempting to transform the area into a golf course and Ray’s friends are struggling to keep their respective businesses afloat. Director Leonard Farlinger has infused the proceedings with a slow-moving sensibility that only exacerbates the various problems within Brad Smith’s screenplay, and the movie remains oddly uninvolving for the duration of its mercifully brief running time. Kirby’s effective work as the film’s protagonist is cancelled out by Smith’s inability to turn the character into a compelling figure, with the end result a film that, while not bad, exactly, has exceedingly little to offer even the most patient viewer.

** out of ****