Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

clintstevens To the few reviewers who gave this a low score, the only thing that impresses you is yourself. After a few minutes I almost didn't continue watching this movie, considering the sad sack main character, but I am SO glad I did! It's a dark comedy and a who-done-it, populated with some great performances, especially John Hawkes, whom I was unfamiliar with, and including Robert Forster, Clifton Collins Jr. and Anthony Anderson. Considering the vast amount of garbage available to watch, don't miss this film, watch it! You'll be glad you did!

bmco-247-721025 I'll admit, John Hawkes character was somewhat entertaining, however, his overnight transition from a self described falling down drunk to a the individual that was going to put a violent misdeed right was simply not believable. The story line is not original and generally predictable throughout. John Hawkes is an alcoholic ex cop who finds a young woman who has been brutalized and left for dead and decides to immerse himself in solving the crime..... sound familiar? The "down-on-your-luck" character presented as a potential savior is a cheap hook to draw people in and admittedly, this theme and the implausibly high ratings from others convinced me to give it a try. What spoiled it for me in the end was a plot that lacked authenticity and simply became less plausible as the story progressed.There's plenty of violent action and as stated previously, most people enjoy seeing characters rise up to confront evil which may be enough for some, however, this story just didn't have enough substance to be very satisfying.I also have to wonder at the ratings for this movie. If you are rating a movie a "10" or even a "9," to me you're saying that was one of the best movies you've ever seen... probably should be nominated for an Oscar or Golden Globe. This phenomenon occurs much too frequently on IMDb. This film is not Oscar caliber - it's mediocre at best.

Nick Bennett Watched this on a recommendation and when it started I thought 'here we go'. Well the film just got better and better, the characterisations were spot on, just enough. The plot had absolutely no flab, and no lag, very well written and tight. The acting is wholly convincing and the casting is absolutely nailed, maybe not a commercial choice but spot on for this movie As every part was convincing in a way where you watch a character not an actor. That takes some doing.

zardoz-13 John Hawkes plays an alcoholic ex-cop in "Lost on Purpose" writer & directors Eshom Nelms & Ian Nelms' gritty melodrama "Small Town Crime" who finds himself up to his ears in a multiple homicide case involving blackmail. This 92-minute thriller goes down easy thanks to Hawkes' believable performance and a seasoned cast featuring Robert Forester, Clifton Collins, Jr., Don Harvey, Michael Vartan, Anthony Anderson, and Octavia Spencer. Mike Kendall (John Hawkes of "American Gangster") amounts to a worthless drunk who dreams that the local police department will reinstate him following a shootout where a fellow officer died. The officer had ordered Kendall to remain in the car while he pulls over a speeder. No sooner has the officer approached the driver's door than shots rang out, and the cop keeled over dead. The shooter exited the car and opened fire on Kendall. The dead officer knew that his partner was drunk and didn't want him to exercise poor judgement. Nevertheless, things rapidly got out of hand, and Kendall bails out of the police cruiser as bullets shatter the windshied. Kendall returns fire. Not only does he kill the suspect, but also his bullets penetrate the trunk of the car. Later, the authorities discover the body of a female victim bound and gagged in the back of the suspect's car. She has died from Kendall's bullets that tore through the rear of the vehicle. Unfortunately, Kendall has heard nothing from anything for over a year. Kendall's day-to-day routine sees him getting smashed and then pumping iron in his garage. Nobody in his neighborhood likes him when he cruises the streets in his souped up Nova that sounds like it has no muffler. Mike has led an interesting life. As a child, his junkie parents kicked him around until human services farmed him out to a loving and compassionate family of African-Americans. In part, this bi-racial upbringing accounts for our Caucasian protagonist having an African-American (Octavia Spencer of "Hidden Figures") as his sister Kelly. Kelly is married to Mike's best friend, Teddy Banks (Anthony Anderson of "The Departed"), and Teddy is a recovering alcoholic like Kelly. No matter what kind of job that Mike applies for, he doesn't get because he shares his history of alcoholism. One day he finds himself in a pasture after having tied on a real bender. Mike staggers back to his Nova and careens back onto the highway. No sooner has he gone a short distance than he spots the blood-splattered body of a young girl on the side of the road. He races off with her to the local emergency room and later learns the following day that she has died. He takes his Nova in to a car wash to clean off the blood. The owner cleans it up and hands him a flip-phone that he found under the seat. As it turns out, the phone belonged to the dead girl. Suddenly, Mike finds himself taking an interest in the demise of the girl. He learns her name, tracks down her family, and poses as a private investigator so he can learn what happened. "Small Town Crime" lives up to its name. As Mike embarks on a mission of self-redemption, he decides to work with some of her former police buddies. Along the way, he learns that the girl was no-good from the get-go. She was hooker, and she had been part of an unsavory scheme to blackmail some important people. Those people dispatch a pair of hardcore assassins with ice water in their veins who are intent on killing anybody who had anything to do with the blackmail. Mike winds up working with a pimp and the grandfather of the girl. Mind you, it's nothing big, but it is well-made, extremely well-cast, and it doesn't wear out its welcome.