Customer Reviews

Evenhand [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Evenhand tells the story of a newly joined partnership of two patrol car police officers in the rural (fictional) town of San Lovelis, Texas. One of the officers, Ted Morning, is a long-standing, hard core member of the force. He is paired up with a transfer, Bob Francis, who makes it a point to mention straight away that he is not a rookie, just a new addition to the San Lovelis staff. But as we get to know this duo as they go about their daily routine of dealing with domestic violence, car wrecks, armed robbery, and drug violations, it quickly becomes clear that next to Officer Morning Bob Francis seems the less experienced if for no other reason than he possesses a conscience. Although Morning's effectiveness as a cop is portrayed by director Joseph Pierson as an epiphenomenon of his 'primitive' relation to the citizens on his beat, it is the internal struggle Francis faces as he responsibly attempts to discharge his obligation as a police officer while contending with the moral conflicts inherent to wielding authority through force that sustains the narrative tension of this engrossing film. The relationship between the two men (played to perfection by actors Bill Sage and Bill Dawes) is also explored in depth, with particular emphasis on the way in which opposing personalities equilibrate as a function of time. This aspect of the film was handled by Pierson with exceptional care, precision and skill. The impact, in fact, is almost documentarian in its capacity to represent realistically the way in which conflict between people inevitably transforms each participant; subtly at first, then increasingly dramatically as the individuals involved interact within the singular emotional field produced by virtue of their entirely unique confrontation. Evenhand is a splendid example of psychological drama enacted on a small scale. Its perspicacious lens on human dilemma and strife will, however, stay with a viewer longer, and more tenaciously, than its scale gives reason to expect. My compliments to Sundance Channel for making this thought-provoking, lovingly crafted film available to cable television viewers.

I saw Evenhand at the 2003 Florida Film Festival in Orlando, and I was impressed on so many levels. The scenes pulse with the conflict two street cops face moment by moment each shift, twenty-four hours a day. Director Joseph Pierson uses a poor section of San Antonio Texas to create the fictional San Lovisa as the backdrop for a storyline that reflects the good and the bad as artfully as a street mural can from a stuccoed city wall.

On the surface, Officer Ted Morning (Bill Sage) is a bad cop. He arrests without question. His "psychic" instinct, not some judge, decides who is guilty. His newly assigned partner, Rob Francis (Bill Dawes), the good cop, winces and questions Morning's rashness. Unaffected, Morning advises him, "You want to help people? You arrest them. That's what you do. You're a cop." On the surface, the lines between good cop and bad cop seem not so blurred.

But this film urges you to look past the obvious. Look past the badges of both characters and the story itself. Listen to the music (Joel Goodman, songs by Mike Doughty) that beats with strong bass, cowbells, or a poignant Latino rhythm. Watch carefully the mural that street kids paint throughout the film, which in the end finishes with its own final version of the story. Read the different signs people carry over their shoulders that you might easily mistake as product advertisements if you are just skimming the surface. Look beyond this conversion of diverse messages, and the subtext conveys a cop's greatest dilemma, "You can't be a friend to everyone."

Evenhand arrests and escalates you toward a unified theme when both cops meet juveniles pointing guns with deadly intent. There is no black and white, no clear right and wrong. In the end, we realize that the best cop falls somewhere between the Francis' and Mornings' who monitor our busy and ever-changing streets each hour of every day in the real world.

This is story telling and film making at its best. I'm thrilled to see this wonderful film sponsored and finally available for purchase.

Bravo, and congratulations to all involved in its making!

I happened to stumble upon this movie on the Sundance Channel one evening. It immediately made its way onto my list of favorite movies of all time. What is most surprising is the reason behind why it is so superb. Unlike many movies today, there are no special effects and few action scenes to speak of. The weight of the movie's plot is carried solely on the shoulders of the two lead actors, Bill Sage and Bill Dawes. Bill Sage turns in an over-the-top performance as Officer Morning...a wild cowboy/take-no-prisoners-type of cop. He arrests people first and asks questions later. In fact, I suspect Mr. Sage had a lot of fun playing this role. However Bill Dawes, who portrays Officer Francis, has the more challenging job of keeping pace with Bill Sage's performance without becoming overshadowed or upstaged by it. Mr. Dawes keeps pace beautifully and both actors play off each other to perfection. I really would have believed that they were true cops. Bill Dawes is absolutely phenomenal in his understated role as Officer Francis.....a sensitive, recently transferred cop struggling to find his way and adjust to the wild ways of his newly assigned partner.

Bill Dawes brings a certain vulnerability to a character unlike any contemporary actor I can think of. He has a special knack for being able to portray a wide range of emotions, but is particularly talented in expressing pensive, melancholy, and fear. This is especially evident in the second half of Chapter 12 (A Close Encounter) when Officer Francis comes face to face with a boy in a laundry room who has a gun pointed directly at him, immediately followed by a scene later that evening when Francis is seen alone in his apartment reflecting on his earlier near-death experience. There is very little dialogue in these two scenes, yet I was able to feel Officer Francis' fear/sadness/frustration/loneliness/pain/shortcomings etc. Most importantly, Mr. Dawes is able to convey these emotions through his expressions and body language in less than 2 minutes and without ever saying a word. Being able to do this is acting. Being able to do it as well as he does is TALENT. He also possesses a one-of-kind vulnerable pout that will make any lady's heart just melt. In the first half of Chapter 9 (Take These Cuffs Off) Officer Morning asks Francis if "his ex-wife just stopped speaking to him one day". With a sudden downward glance, and heartbreaking subtle frown/pout, he responds that "it's a little more complicated than that." One of the biggest mysteries of modern times is how Mr. Dawes has not had more success as a dramatic actor. I have a feeling we are going to be seeing a lot more of this highly talented actor in years to come.....

Evenhand is a very impressive accomplishment: a quiet, thoughtful cop film. Its premise is familiar: two very different personalities working to adapt to each other and to the many demands of their jobs as patrolmen. So it's very much a character study, and the two principal actors -- Bill Sage and Bill Dawes -- do an excellent job of realizing their characters. As the film's energy is derived from their characters' different natures, it would have been very easy for each of their performances to become charicatures. They did not. In each, you see a fully-dimensioned person, including echoes of his partner's traits. That's good acting of good writing.

I also enjoyed the matter-of-fact style of the film, which reminded me of Victor Nunez's wonderful and under-appreciated Ruby In Paradise.

I caught this movie on the Sundance Channel one night. It's a great study of two small force officers working the streets of a small Texas town. Besides depicting reality, it's also excellant film making.

I first saw this movie on the IFC cable channel and watched it every time I could find it. Since they didn't show it often, I had to be looking for it. I just had to own it, it's just that good. Kind of a buddy film but moves and Mike Doughty's music really helps set the mood.

I was thinking it was sort of like he TV show "Cops," but as I watch it to the end it was not like "Cops." I think the movie successfully described the feeling of uneasiness the police officer was feeling toward his partner.

This is not a happy movie. Instead, this is a realistic description of cops' lives that are generally not easy for many people to deal with in a daily basis. This movie, however, is not only about cops. The movie implies the cause and effect, meaning what goes around comes around.

I must admit, my main goal in purchasing this movie was to hear Mike Doughty (former frontman for Soul Coughing) finally get some airplay in a movie. I started watching with the bad feeling this was going to be a purchase with no redeeming values other than to catch a few songs. I was pleasantly mistaken.

The main detraction for me in this movie ended up being the horrible sound quality. I have never had a DVD that I had to turn my tv up to the maximum volume to even make out what was being said. At one point in the movie the lips and the audio very obviously don't match for about a minute (see the second scene with the abusive wife). The splicing in of music seemed to be done at varying levels. All in all it was a total pain attempting to understand what was being said. I'm not an audio freak (my TV goes to 63) so perhaps it sounds better on a better system.

After the first 10 minutes of the movie I was ready to end it, after the first 20 minutes of the movie I was enthralled. This was one of the best movies I've never heard of. Well acted (except for the first domestic abuse scene), with some really odd messages thrown in about abuse of power that I still am thinking about the next day.

I had just hooked up my new Blu Ray player and was checking out instant streaming with Netflix and this movie popped up. So I proceeded to watch it and was happy I did. It was a great movie. The music for the sound track to this movie was great as well. Especially the song during the ending credits.

It's not your typical cop movie it feels much more real. I loved it. - look, acting, music, plot.