Quiet, intense and well-acted, well-shot, well-crafted and Impressive.

Shannon is good, the story is fine as well. And I like that it's low-key. But its director's choice to imbue it with a whole lot of very familiar indie feel/look/quirk nearly sinks it entirely. The "look this is poetic yo" score doesn't help.

Has a natural, charming southern style, but it's a little too laid back to be fully compelling.

A lot to like about this movie, but the story wasn't really one of them.

"Alternately terse and elegiac, Shotgun Stories works best when it observes the lives of its main characters, three lower-class brothers from southeast Arkansas." - Jeremiah Kipp

Michael Shannon is immense, in fact the casting is great all over.

Simple revenge tale with variable performances. The lives of the characters are revealed through glimpses, which works well enough, but overall has trouble rising above a conventional morality parable.

Borderline nerve-wracking (and I mean that in the best possible way) and assured work from 1st time director Nichols that already cemented his status as a director to watch - and follow closely. This kind of reaction might have been premature back then, so you'll be pleased to know "Take Shelter" takes all of what makes this film so great - engaging story, skillful writing, measured performances and a sublime soundtrack to name a few - and kicks it up a notch to awesomeness level. Recommended.

I'm not sure who is more lucky to have met the other person: Shannon or Nichols. The answer must be quite simple: WE ARE !!!

Effective dama with good acting and good ending.

The movie has a very simplistic story, and I don't really mean that as a compliment. Nothing really happens for the majority of it, but it's somewhat interesting to watch. I actually thought this was one of Michael Shannon's weaker roles. Everyone was one of those men who try and protect their families no matter what, and I cannot relate to that at all. The scene near the end when Boy walks into the guys yard was good and tense. Aside from that, there wasn't really a lot to the movie.

I was in the mood for a human drama without any grand, life-affirming developments, and that was precisely what I got. Feels really grounded thanks to a great cast (Michael Shannon is simply perfect for the role) and a lot of restraint in its presentation. I thoroughly enjoyed the music as well. Sure, it might not lend itself to a second viewing, but I definitely enjoyed the ride the first time.

Michael Shannon can act - he owns this role. Nichols has a fantastic debut telling the story of revenge, anger and deception. Really looking forward to his next film, Goat. The ending was pretty solid too.

Revenge and Nature.

Good story, very nice pace and great acting. What's not to like?

Love this film. From the brilliant and extremely emotional music to the acting (especially Shannon, who is fantastic), to the simplistic but extremely engaging plot, everything is great here. The ending scene is a scene of beauty.

This is classical western themes submitted to the David Gordon Green style of filmmaking. To convince us that it is real people making these tough, vengeful decisions, casting is even more important than usual and everyone look and act the part. Shannon shines; or rather, he glooms. Dramatic, yet never unbelieveable, the plot runs a natural course, with the concise lines of dialogue supplying the neccesary backstory. Really good stuff.

Great. A tale of violent rivalry between 2 sets of half-brothers. The setting is rural USA, the characters hick rednecks. The plot resembles a good greek tragedy and the execution is flawless. Excellent performances by the entire cast, notably the surprisingly good male lead, Micheal Shannon. An intriguing film that will keep you entertained till the, unfortunately, somewhat tepid and bit too neat end. Highly recommended.

A close miss. Nichols is nearly successful in telling a passable story about a cycle of revenge. He just doesn't get the psychology and reactions entirely right, and the plot is just slightly too "easy" and unsophisticated, the dialogue slightly too contrived. Even the music misses the mark. What really keeps the film's head above water are the good leads, especially Shannon, a great actor. The leads infuse the characters with some of the vulnerability and complexity they lack in the script.

Pretty flawless actually, but it somehow feels so rigidly linear, as if Nichols always had a storyboard at hand. So many scenes that could and should have lasted longer.

I really liked the narrative, and Shannon was solid in the lead. However, the other actors took me out of the film often, as it seemed they were self-conscious in front of the camera. And the moves between nature shots and plot scenes, while poetic and lyrical in David Gordon Green movies, were abrupt here. I'm definitely interested in future Nichols films, but not sure I want to revisit this one. Good, but not great.

Probably the best Southern Gothic movie I've seen. It takes a while to get started but when it does it darn good. The only thing is that less violence happens than you'd think would if this were a real world situation. The dialog is great and the acting is usually pretty good.

Okay Movie