If a pair of talented actors go toe to toe and no one is around to watch, did it really happen? That’s a silly question, but it’s the type of thing you ponder while watching The Quarry, a well acted yet narratively inert picture that wastes Michael Shannon and Shea Whigham. The filmmakers may have thought that they were making the next No Country for Old Men or another modern neo western, but instead, they just took two skilled actors and marooned them within an obvious plot that takes forever to go where you know it needs to go. Shannan and Whigham do their best to make you ignore that, but it’s a bridge too far. The movie is a real slow burn, full of crime and mystery, but surprisingly little intrigue. A traveling preacher named David Martin (Bruno Bichir) picks up a drifter (Whigham) on the side of the road while en route to a small town where he is to be the new pastor. They share a meal, but in short order, the drifter murders Martin, quickly assuming his identity, and reaching the town, where he plans to take over his job. Staying with Celia (Catalina Sandino Moreno), “David Martin” initially fools the town, though Chief Moore (Shannon) finds him peculiar. However, a petty theft in town begins to unravel all of the lies, setting up the two men for an inevitable showdown, especially once Moore begins to suspect there’s more to this individual than he’s letting be known. Scott Teems directs and shares writing duties with Andrew Brotzman, both of whom having adapted the novel by Damon Galgut. Michael Alden Lloyd handles the cinematography, while the score is from Heather McIntosh. Rounding out the cast are the likes of Alvaro Martinez, Bobby Soto, and more. Michael Shannon and Shea Whigham are almost good enough to make this still worth watching…almost. Shannon has played this type of sardonic law enforcement official before, but he’s so rock steady at it that it remains a pleasure to witness. Whigham, initially a blank slate but soon adding in layers of guilt, turns in one of his finest performances to date. Together, they play a game of chicken with each other, daring the other to blink. Even when the script lets them down by making things incredibly obvious, they find compelling notes to play. If the rest of the flick were as […]