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How sad is this?

Good concept, poorly executed.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

... and I don't mean the over-exuberant reviewers claiming it was the best thing they'd ever seen. It was good. I'll say that. Coming from a similar southern town - the scenery, the accents, the corruption... they got it right. One reviewer who claimed they were too clean looking... um. Maybe some of them, but the characters Vaughn and Ray-Ray always looked in need of a shower. So... perspective, I guess. These reviews claiming it was the worst thing they'd ever seen, have obviously been living under a rock. First, the writing is NOT bad at all. I've heard similar conversations from real life people. Gritty language, responses to threats, all of the above (former law enforcement career). There was nothing odd about it. The pace... well, it's a noir... all slow build up to a predictable, last minute climax. That's what the genre does. So when you see "NOIR" in the descriptive title, you can't expect fast-paced, psychedelic, or action-packed scenes... that's just stupid on YOUR part. Predictable? The killer was a character who had never been introduced. So... again. Bad? No. The acting. Come on... William Sadler? William Forsythe? Jeff Fahey (who should have been in the movie more, IMO)? And the writer/director/producer/Ray-Ray character... Miles Doleac? These guys are terrific actors. And played these parts well. Yeah, the FBI guy was a little bit of an over-actor, but I'm really not sure where all this hatred is coming from. Troll much? That being said... I have nothing to gain or lose from this review. I, too, just like good, solid movies with a story. Not everything I see is an action fest, or a laugh-a-minute comedy. Sometimes I just like smartly made movies, of which this is one. The hateful reviews given this film are undeserved. So, grab some popcorn, a beer, and settle in to decide for yourself.

Had to watch it to the end.I don't think I can remember a movie with such potential wasted in almost every scene. The typecasting was comical in an un-funny way. If I cared enough I would check the credits to see if there really were 4 different female characters or was it the same chick in different clothes.The writing \ dialogue was so painful I found myself composing better ways of saying a line and wondering how someone actually got paid to write it so badly. After watching the flick I came back here to re-read the reviews. The 9's and 10's are insulting and obviously deceitful. If the ratings can be rigged, as the Donald would say, so easily by people with an agenda, I feel IMDb loses a lot of credibility.

4/5 - The Hollow Director: Miles DoleacThe Hollow is a film made in a seemingly forgotten tradition of American movies: the straightforward murder mysteries of the 80's and 90's (a la Witness) that featured vivid settings with even stronger accents, a twisty-but-still-easily-digestible plot setup, charismatic actors, layers of tension, and a distinct beginning and end. I love the experimental and emotionally ambiguous as much as any film lover, but I find it just as vital to preserve more straightforward genre fair, especially when they are as precisely made and effective as The Hollow. The film is centered around a murder in the Deep South that brings together two deeply troubled men. There is Vaughn, a wasted FBI agent played by James Callis of Battlestar Galactica fame, and Ray, a dirty cop played by writer/director Miles Doleac. The two men, anchoring the film in a pair of rock solid performances, both conspire (in their own equally conflicted ways) to take down Big John Dawson (William Forsythe). While Dawson is your typical Southern gentlemen/big bad, but Forsythe sinks his teeth into the role in such a way you will not want to turn away. The same can be said for the film as a whole. In a lesser team's hands, The Hollow could have a been boilerplate mess; but Doleac, whose last film was a quieter character drama (The Historian), takes the reigns of this genre piece and makes it his own. Yes, elements of The Hollow can feel derivative, but, in the end, commitment and enthusiasm and attention to detail produces entertaining movies. This is a film that has commitment in spades.

The Hollow represents the messiness and complexities of life. Miles Doleac, again at the helm of a film with an outstanding ensemble cast – William Sadler, William Forsythe, James Callis, Christiane Seidel, Jeff Fahey, and Doleac himself – has a touch with sub-plots and side stories that breaks the predictability of the usual story lines offered in most commercial movies now. Original stories are rare nowadays, particularly with the plethora of remakes and reboots. Humanity, in all its glory and tragedy, is often lacking, but not in The Hollow. The very characters you think are the villains, will wring your heart. Flawed, rotten, and often making wrong choices, but in the end, doing what humans do – what they think they have to do in the midst of their own misery. This film portrays the very basest of human nature, while set in a beautiful setting with beautiful people, much like life itself. It's dirty in the way that coffee stains your cup. It's compelling in the way the few people who seem to be on the right side of things (Joseph VanZandt, Lindsay Anne Williams – keep an eye out for her – natural and organic acting abilities are rare, too) can make a difference. It mimics the state of current affairs in the way that we must rely on the strength of the few to overthrow the oppressiveness of greed and tyranny. The cinematography and edits are pristine, seamless. The talent involved in The Hollow works well together. Doleac has a knack for choosing the right people for the right roles, many of whom he has worked with in the past. William Sadler (President Ellis in the Marvel Universe, Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, The Historian) never disappoints. His acting chops are stellar. You believe him in every role he plays. I could listen to him talk all day. James Callis (Battlestar Galactica, the Bridget Jones movies) emotes such pain in his eyes, and at the beginning, you'd think he was the strong male lead. Not so… he is damaged and it takes the entire film to realize that he is not saved by his own actions, but by the people he trusts, and his love. Christiane Seidel (Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order: SVU) is magic on the screen. Admittedly, I've seen very little from her, but we will be seeing her more and more. She is special. William Forsythe (Boardwalk Empire, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, The Untouchables) plays crazy and mean so well. Big John Dawson would not have been right in anyone else's hands. Forsythe is amazing. And Jeff Fahey (Lost, The Lawnmower Man, Machete). Fahey as Darryl Everett in this film is perfection. I only wish he'd been in more of the movie. He moves me in everything he does. Then, Doleac as Ray Everett – the bad guy, the tortured, wrong-choice-making, kind of douche-y guy that makes you want to hit him… until the layers of the onion peel back and he's just as human and messed up as the rest of us. He made me care about him, and I don't know how I feel about that. That's one thing about Doleac's writing… what sometimes seems to be a cast of extremely complex characters just adds to the big picture, and it makes you want more after the credits roll. What happens to Cutler County after the big finale? I think the answer is that life goes on: good, bad, messy, and ultimately worth the fight.