Synopsis
Shotgun Stories tracks a feud that erupts between two sets of half brothers following the death of their father. Set against the cotton fields and back roads of Southeast Arkansas, these brothers discover the lengths to which each will go to protect their family.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Michael ShannonSon Hayes
- Douglas LigonBoy Hayes
- Barlow JacobsKid Hayes
- Michael Abbott Jr.Cleaman Hayes
- Travis SmithMark Hayes
- Lynnsee ProvenceStephen Hayes
- David RhodesJohn Hayes
- Glenda PannellAnnie Hayes
- G. Alan WilkinsShampoo
- Natalie CanerdayNicole
Recommendations
- 90
Los Angeles Times
An understated gem. Writer-director Jeff Nichols, making his feature debut, has created a richly textured world. - 83
The A.V. Club
Well-plotted, with a strong lead performance by Michael Shannon, and a fair amount of authentic regional flavor. It isn't really meant to be a treatise on Southern life. At heart, it's a country-fried genre film, minus the peppery white gravy. - 80
The New York Times
The film is a here-and-now American potboiler and a stripped-down parable that can be appreciated by any culture. - 75
TV Guide Magazine
The cast deliver consistently fine, subtle performances, underscored by Ben Nichols' mournfully melodic guitar score. - 75
Premiere
It's rare that a picture that deals with as much tragedy as this one also manages to convey as much warmth to its characters. - 75
San Francisco Chronicle
An austere rural landscape, festering hatred, class tensions, terse dialogue - these are common currency in indie movies these days. Shotgun Stories uses them all, but manages to stand out from the crowd. - 70
Variety
Thesping is pitch-perfect across the board. - 70
New York Magazine (Vulture)
The movie makes you empathize with the rage that drives these young men to violence--but it also makes you see how manly action wipes out their individuality, their uniqueness, and turns them into archetypal meatheads.
