Tackling the job of a corporate salesman for a large natural-gas company, Matt Damon gives a stout performance as the strong, though highly naïve, Steve Butler in Gus Van Sant's Promised Land.
The film, written by Damon and co-star John Krasinski, lacks much originality and finesse. Instead, Promised Land leans heavily on the strength of its actors, as well as its ability to tell its story with an even pace that proves to be very close to that of real life.
Frances McDormand does a brilliant job as Butler's parter-in-crime Sue Thomason. Her poise and professionalism counters that of Butler's emotional take on their job, ultimately providing for a solid balance as the pair venture out to take over another small town, ridden by the recent economic downturn.
But an activist (in the form of Krasinski) has other plans as he works to thwart the efforts of our dynamic duo, sending them on a long and painful journey to win over the townsfolk that are slowly slipping from their grip.
The film marks a fresh return for Krasinski, who has failed to ignite a movie career since his stint on NBC's The Office began in 2005. Fortunately for him, it simply took writing his own material to score big as his performance here is outstanding opposite two of the most respected actors in the business.
But for all the potential that the film creates, it is held back by its needless over-the-top propaganda sermon. It nearly overcomes the roadblock thanks to its swift pace, but the final few scenes where our Butler begins to finally piece together the clues is somewhat of a wakeup call. Not only has the film flown by with really zero in-depth characterization, but you begin to wonder who the real winner of the story is.
For what it's worth, Promised Land is a character-driven story that fails to hit all the needed points on its way to a fast, and somewhat cliché, conclusion. The performances are fantastic, nearly saving the picture, but in the end it just isn't enough as the film ultimately falls victim to itself, as well as its simplicity and underlying political agenda.
