Death in Texas (2020) Poster

User Reviews

Review this title
37 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
7/10
Solid Movie
FilmCurator6 June 2021
I enjoyed this film. Engaging storyline, with well rounded characters. I thought the cast was fantastic. It was good to see Lara Flynn Boyle back onscreen in a film. I thought the real standout actor was Ronnie Gene Blevins. He gave a great performance, and I'm looking forward to seeing his future projects.

Without giving any spoilers, it was a very satisfying ending, to a good story.
13 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
A Mama's Boy Finds Redemption - Surprisingly Good
othersidebar7 June 2021
As the movie opens, we find our boy Billy getting paroled after spending seven years in the pen only to discover his beloved mother is dying from liver failure. Billy wants to do everything he can to save his mom but has to dig way down in the slop in order to have any hope of so doing.

Several very good performances from veterans Lara Flynn Boyle (mom) and Bruce Dern as a very unlikeable cartel mobster. Relative unknowns Ronnie Gene Blevins in the lead role of Billy and Stephen Lang as one of mom's caregivers also turned in memorable performances.

All in all, it was very watchable with a couple good plot twists, a moderate to high amount of violence, and a good ending.
13 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Amazing Grace
lavatch15 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
If there is a theme to "Death in Texas," it has to do with the all-pervasive existence of evil in the world. From start to finish, there is a pattern of violence that was also mitigated by the milk of human kindness.

Billy Walker spent seven years in prison for manslaughter when he murdered a man with his own hands. He was doing so to protect his mother, Grace, who was being assaulted by a man in a diner.

Now, Billy is released from prison and seeks redemption in the form of saving his mother once again, as she is suffering from liver failure. Billy steals money from a member of a drug cartel, hoping to purchase a liver for his mother on the black market. Billy's crime spree occupies most of the action of the film.

The most intriguing character in the film was Grace Walker, who always seems to attract the wrong kind of men. But while lying in the hospital, she meets the kind male nurse, John Schofield, and the two characters instantly bond. But Mr. Schofield turns out to be the father of the man that Billy Walker murdered.

The film was overly unpleasant with so much violence. There could have been another way to develop the parable of the son's sacrifice of his liver for his mother. The best scene in the film was the monologue of John Walker to Billy, in which he confesses that he was not a genuine father to his son, but a monster. The two characters were joined in that moment in an act of mercy for the figure they both felt was the light of their lives: Amazing Grace.
5 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Great story, terrible execution, then subtract more stars for casting Bruce Dern.
Top_Dawg_Critic27 July 2021
Seriously, who's idea was it to cast Dern as some big rich drug lord/gangster? The guy looks and sounds like a drunk bum. I was cringing every time the camera was on him and his straggly hair, and started talking like a drunk. He may have worked in a comedy version of this story. Worst casting decision I've ever seen; that casting agent needs to change careers. Then you have Ronnie Gene Blevins all monotonic and straight faced, looking like he was bored and only there for the paycheck. I struggled to stay awake when most of the focus was on him. The only stand-out and convincing performances were by Lara Flynn Boyle, Stephen Lang and Cher Cosenza.

The directing by novice writer and director Scott Windhauser wasn't too bad for a newb, and although the stories concept was amazing, the execution was less desirable. There were many plot and technical issues. Some dialogue was cheesy and/or unnecessary. It lacked any type of action. Why just show flashes of him and the bouncer? Some nice exciting action would've been refreshing to give the audience someone to route for - and struggle less staying awake. The pacing needed improvement, as the 101 min runtime felt much longer. The score was actually not bad for a B-film, but I had some issues with the sound, as some dialogue sounded muffled and illegible. It's a shame, because this story had lots of potential, had it been cast properly with some tweaks to the screenplay. So never mind all the bogus high reviews, it's a generous 6/10 from me.
13 out of 18 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Wrong Answer
nogodnomasters16 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Billy Walker (Ronnie Gene Blevins) gets paroled from prison because his mother (Lara Flynn Boyle) has a liver issue that appears terminal without a donor. She is too far down the list. Billy discovers that a doctor can perform the operation across the border with a black market liver for $160K. When Billy's old drug-dealing friend flashes a lot of cash in front of him, Billy decides to make a withdrawal with deadly consequences and the cartel looking for him.

This was a slightly different drug crime movie. The acting was solid but the plot and dialogue could have been better.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.
5 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Robin Hood in West Texas.
TxMike20 September 2021
If you strip down the core of the story it is very good. However the script and execution would have lots of room for doing it better. Like if they had the time and money to hire a really good script writer and a bit better direction here and there would have improved it greatly.

Set in El Paso (but mostly filmed in New mexico), a 35-ish man is up for parole and ends up getting out of prison, we later find out after seven years. His 50-ish mom has had a hard life and is a receptionist for a legal firm. But she has bigger problems, even as a non-drinker she is experiencing liver failure. The son will do anything to help his mother live.

I really can't say much more without spoilers. It is a hard movie to stick with for the first half hour or so, it seems a bit rough and over-the-top in many places. My wife gave up at about the 30 minute mark but I was curious so kept watching. Overall I am glad I did, there is a pretty good movie in there, cleverly disguised as an amateur production.

On DVD from my public library.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
It was chugging along real well. . .
clivejamesrd8 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Tough guy action, decent in enough storyline, but in the last 15 mins takes a hard swerve to Sentimental Drekland, I lost my last three meals.

I guy goes to the rescue of his mom who is getting assaulted, kills the offender, does 7 years for that but he 'needs redemption'. Makes no sense.

That's just the first of a few wrong turns this movie takes, but one spoiler is enough.

You have to be all heart and no brain to think this is great movie making/storytelling.
2 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Not sure why the bad reviews because it definitely isn't a bad film
leonmessyb12 December 2021
I really enjoyed this film. Didn't know much what to expect. Explores a lot of elements of human emotions and human nature. Evil, redemption, sacrifice, and more. Definitely worth a watch.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
There are 7 or 9 markers for transplant.
allboyzokfarm18 July 2021
Just being same blood type doesn't mean you are a transplant match. Need 5 markers to match. Hollywierd needs better fact checkers.
0 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
A Blend of Solid talent
erhall82830 June 2021
Death in Texas is that rare find of a film that intertwines gritty action with a well scripted drama that is both entertaining and thought provoking. The script and directing managed to attract a full roster of established actors whose skilled are well intact and then support them with up and coming talent like Cher (Cheryl) Cosenza as "Jennifer." "Jennifer's" role as muse and catalyst is integral to driving the story forward and Cheryl plays the tricky part on point. "Jennifer's" real life daughter even makes a cameo and fittingly steals the scene from a thieving lead character. It's fun at the end to scour the credits for all the familiar faces while pondering the themes of the film...
1 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
How are there positive reviews for this??
FrederickTroy15 December 2021
A couple of half decent performances struggle to keep their head above water in a sea of awful lines and bad editing. One of those movies that is so bad that it's awful!
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Ronnie Gene Blevins slays
alexrlozano8 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
From the opening scene Billy (Ronnie Gene Blevins) steals the show. His tormented character finds himself trying to navigate an ex-con existence and walking a straight line while being forced into a life of crime in order to save his dying mother. Overall the movie was very entertaining, but Ronnie's performance was outstanding.
12 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Definitely worth watching
deadbull-9517128 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I like most anything S. Lang shows up in. Ronnie Blevins plays it straight up too. Bruce Dern is Bruce Dern, and I think his brilliance is more at tormented oddballs (Tattoo), then crime bosses, so we have a slightly flatted note there, but..................It's a good story, kept my interest all the way. I'm not hitting my word minimum here so.......... This is a very straightforward old-school sort of crime drama. The protagonist is a tough ex-con who's soft boiled when it comes to his sick mom, and has to raise a lot of cash fast. This sort of story doesn't leave a lot of room for nuanced characters but Blevins manages to inject some interesting layering. Stephen Lang is always interesting, and basically, even the stock players are all on target. Check it out.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Lousy
loucagavricc14 August 2023
Not so great, shallow, not believable in any way. Characters are cut from the world around and make random decisions or ones thoroughly explained. It all seems to made-up to not be called bad. That said, I did keep watching it, despite the flaws. I don't know if acting is bad or screenplay is at fault, but dialogs are often void, sensless and filled with words that should bring a great meaning, but they just make it cringe. I'm also stunned at the level of production, which offers beautiful aerial shots and close-up transitions, bringing action without cutscenes, but also feeling way ahead of storyline. Mediocre at best.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Fake characters
olcayozfirat22 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
2022 mediocre action-drama film. Of a man who is overly attached to his mother and got into trouble because of this devotion. Later on, it is about how he gets into all kinds of trouble to save his mother from an illness.

Although the drama aspect of the movie is heavy, it cannot go above the average. Only the devotion part to the mother is beautiful.

--- spoilers ---

Texas baron is so bad. You got this man. Why don't you go and kill and clean the world of this mess.

--- spoilers ---
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Does the trick
Leofwine_draca25 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A B-movie thriller that turns out to be a lot better than I was expecting. The lead is unknown to me but Stephen Lang and Bruce Dern bring solid support, the latter particularly menacing even at an advanced age. The film mixes slow burning tension with some stark and gritty moments of violence, mixed with a hefty dose of non-Hollywood realism. Not amazing, but it does the trick.
0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Could've been a lot better. W/D should stick to writing.
cerivs-2955812 August 2021
Good story, but directed & paced like molasses in winter. If you're afraid to do action scenes, don't, it would have been better off to skip them and have them explained by a character after the fact. It's much easier on the audience than doing what was done here and make those watching suffer through the stupid blurred out, unbelievable and illogical scenes.

A waste of a talented cast as Dern was too over the top and Bogomil just looked so bored so they were directed like half the cast didn't want to be there.

To many cliches re how the main character can take pain, especially since half the time he looks like he's suffering from constipation and the other just like he's not even there.

The exception to the film was Lang & Boyle, both did a good to great job in their interaction/sentimental exchange, it's for them that the rating was 2 more stars than deserved.

To those saying this was the best thing since sliced bread, grow up or i hope you got paid well.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Loved the Story, Cinemaphotography, the Familiar Faces, and the Twists~
krissy-9942810 June 2021
This movie has so much going for it. For one, the cinmetography of East Texas is epic. The story is oddly sweet and touching but the action keeps you moving! Loved seeing Laura Flynn Boyle make an appearance on the scene again, and she was very good, but the acting by Ronnie Gene Blevins steals the show. Some nice twists keep you guessing. See it! Very well executed for a small budget and hope to see more from this movie making team.
9 out of 11 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Excellent
hdandegm46 June 2021
Excellent movie! Full of action-violence 😬 we really enjoyed this movie!
7 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
An Absolute Must See!
goose22679 June 2021
This movie grips your attention from the get go. Highly recommend it to anyone looking for something fresh. The characters suck you in and pull you right into the storyline. A Must See!!!
5 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Redemption is something you have to fight for in a very personal, down-dirty way.
jaysontomlin9 June 2021
What a fun ride! Great cast! Explosive action and edgy characters set against a moral struggle to do one last good thing before your time is up. Death in Texas is as hot as the pico at the cantina, so if you're gonna take a shot, make it a double.
4 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
A really good B-Movie
markschmid-4274417 June 2021
Caution: This is not a bang-bang action flick. To tell the truth, it's not really my type of favorite movie (action and sci-fi, etc.). It's more of a real-life drama with a couple of criminals involved than anything else. But I watch a lot of movies and by that I can tell, this is a really, really well-executed movie. Great acting, good camera, no plot holes, great actors and plenty of drama. I enjoyed this movie a lot. It's not your over the top story or a bunch of invincible super heroes. Much more down to earth real life. A really good movie. No way anything below 7 in my book for what it is. Well recommended.
4 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
A SUPER WHOPPER of a movie!
aSumuru5 June 2021
Beautifully shot, a story beautifully told and performances at their finest. Possibly one of the best things that I have had the honor to watch during this pandemic and in my lifetime. Sometimes a message is told this way and this is the only best way.
6 out of 11 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Action/Drama in West Texas
nrgvoyager8 June 2021
Wonderful movie with a true to life story set in El Paso, TX. Ronnie Blevins does an excellent job portraying Billy, a troubled man who, despite his time in jail, loves his Mom and is willing to go to great lengths to help her.

I really enjoyed Stephen Lang in this role (he plays John, the love interest of Billy's mom.) I think he is a great looking guy and have seen him play tough, but this movie allowed him to show an entirely different side.

Of course, Bruce Dern plays an incredible bad guy. And for those who are old enough to remember him and John Wayne, there is a special surprise at the end of this movie.

Definitely worth seeing! Enjoy!
4 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Surprising twists
cwrbmcm10 June 2021
This was a great movie with surprising twists. Expect a lot of action and sentimental moments. It was a perfect combination of both.

Really encapsulates what the meaning of sacrifice is, especially when it comes to family.
4 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An error has occured. Please try again.

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed