Shotgun Stories

Shotgun Stories

2008
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 32m
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. (imdb)
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Shotgun Stories

2008
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 32m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 61.11% from 499 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(499)
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Rated 02 Aug 2012
90
80th
Simplistic? Sure. But Jeff Nichols' first film reminded me of how much power the medium can have with no more than some good acting, storytelling, and an inspired filmmaker. This is the movie that turned me into a serious cinephile and will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Rated 01 Mar 2013
70
79th
Went looking for this after I saw Take Shelter. Was not disappointed. Shannon is great, and a strong cast of mostly unknowns moves it along.
Rated 25 Aug 2008
80
69th
Good story, very nice pace and great acting. What's not to like?
Rated 18 Nov 2013
82
65th
Shotgun stories is slow journey into human relations, family bounds and moral lessons. The main plot may be not that engaging at times but it's balanced by good performance and vivid imagery.
Rated 18 May 2012
9
90th
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 every element that makes this film so great - the skillful writing, measured performances and a sublime soundtrack to name a few - and kicks it up a notch to awesomeness level. Recommended.
Rated 14 Mar 2010
80
86th
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.
Rated 25 May 2012
80
81st
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 !!!
Rated 14 Feb 2016
50
49th
The story set in a small town slowly plods along without much excitement. It was hard to relate to or become invested in the characters & being witness to their mundane existence was not particularly entertaining. All the action is over before it starts with sketchy escalation of violence handled poorly & off camera. There are a few poignant moments. Boring sedate music. Brothers killing brothers should have been much more tense & affecting.
Rated 15 Dec 2012
88
52nd
Movie has that David Gordon Green catfish aesthetic. An anti-Shakespeare, Winter's Bone without the meth. Did appreciate the languid pace and that the substantial violence was kept off camera and off mic.
Rated 04 Oct 2009
83
58th
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.
Rated 16 Mar 2013
70
16th
good alternative movie
Rated 14 Dec 2013
5
42nd
Not bad, just unremarkable. I'm a fan of Jeff Nichols, and enjoyed TAKE SHELTER and MUD quite a bit, but this movie is a flat and conventional revenge tale with a "Let bygones be bygones" kind of moral that comes on a little too thick. Michael Shannon is good, as always.
Rated 15 Jul 2009
8
82nd
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.
Rated 05 Jun 2010
58
48th
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.
Rated 20 Oct 2011
80
63rd
A lot to like about this movie, but the story wasn't really one of them.
Rated 08 Sep 2010
79
77th
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.
Rated 06 Apr 2012
45
34th
A simple revenge tale with variable performances. The lives of the characters are revealed through glimpses, which works well enough, but, overall, it has trouble rising above a conventional morality parable.
Rated 27 Aug 2013
77
62nd
Already waiting for an another movie starring Michael Shannon, directed by Jeff Nichols, set in Arkansas. Formula for a decent film.
Rated 13 Dec 2010
25
61st
"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
Rated 01 Oct 2012
87
58th
A family feud drama, given a naturalistic touch so rare for the genre.
Rated 16 Oct 2011
55
19th
Has a natural, charming southern style, but it's a little too laid back to be fully compelling.
Rated 21 Dec 2009
70
41st
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.
Rated 12 Oct 2009
60
63rd
Okay Movie
Rated 21 Sep 2011
50
24th
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.
Rated 07 Apr 2014
70
41st
Nichols's beautiful, melancholic, low-energy tone and use of non-professional (and often pretty terrible) actors conflicts with the high stakes, high drama premise such that I found the meandering narrative not very compelling. I love the way it's made and the way it feels, but I didn't find the story or the people in it very interesting.
Rated 06 Jan 2010
70
75th
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.
Rated 05 Apr 2015
75
40th
A little slow at the beginning but builds the suspense nicely and I appreciated the realism. Well worth a look.
Rated 09 Mar 2012
58
32nd
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.
Rated 17 Jun 2020
80
69th
A simple, naturalistic motif of backwoods Americana. Less a drama and more of an imagined ethnography: instead of the Tom, Dick, and Harry of Hollywood, we are presented with the Son, Kid, and Boy of rural Arkansas.
Rated 17 Aug 2015
28
84th
A prequel to Take Shelter.
Rated 26 Aug 2013
81
77th
Jeff Nichols' freshman entry is wonderful in its simple portrayal of Western-type feud in all its simple glory. Nichols' love of small town America is a beautiful backdrop to a dramatic, believable narrative.
Rated 28 Feb 2017
65
33rd
In my eyes not much different than Blue Ruin (of course this came first). Just like that film, Shotgun Stories has no huge problems, it just isn't very memorable.
Rated 21 Apr 2010
90
91st
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.
Rated 03 Jan 2014
85
92nd
It's both sober and relentless in its depiction of American men in crisis, having to face an everyday life that is reduced to rural jobs, raising kids and grabbing a beer in the evening. Once the feud starts at the funeral, Nichols frames every movement with precise, subtle shots, announcing a violence that takes place by invading your rival's property like if you were in a war. But proposing peace -- as Boy does in the end, invading property with no guns -- also requires guts.
Rated 17 Jan 2012
76
72nd
Effective dama with good acting and good ending.
Rated 26 Aug 2018
62
57th
I appreciated the solemn tone of the Film even if it could have had more action
Rated 23 Aug 2008
70
78th
Revenge and Nature.
Rated 04 Aug 2013
95
97th
Jeff Nichols writes contemplative scripts. Michael Shannon might be the best actor I've seen in regards to expressing emotion and depth without saying much. These two together is essentially. Simple, beautiful, emotional, and truly a wonderful film.
Rated 03 Sep 2013
70
76th
Michael Shannon is becoming one my favorite actors. Once again an excellent performance.
Rated 03 Apr 2017
80
64th
درگیری سه برابر با سه برادر نا تنی و شکل گیری جنگ و تنش در عین نزدیک شدن خانواده ها
Rated 25 May 2017
59
32nd
seen for Michael Shannon. PS: DI6+SC6+CI7+ED6+AC7+SO7+OV7+WH7+MY6+WO0
Rated 04 Jun 2010
84
83rd
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.
Rated 04 Jun 2017
72
35th
Feels a little too slow for its own good. So much time spent just showing the emptiness and lack of meaning to these characters lives could have been spent divulging more the family's history or, hell, giving more insight into the half brothers. Story is potent and the atmosphere is very solid, though, so I guess it comes out even.
Rated 02 Jul 2011
80
91st
Michael Shannon is immense, in fact the casting is great all over.
Rated 01 Oct 2015
90
93rd
Nichols would later refine this brand of storytelling in "Mud". Still, the dry, matter-of-fact nature of this film charms in its own way. Shannon is a lumbering force as he always is.
Rated 26 Feb 2018
56
63rd
No frills feud, handled without sensationalism, and quite tense in places.
Rated 14 Sep 2020
80
57th
As real as story telling may get. This feels complete with a moving archetype of these brothers, and I enjoyed this all throughout.
Rated 22 Jul 2023
90
48th
Set in a rural town where there’s nothing to do but wait for what comes next, Shotgun Stories builds a mounting tension that moves through each scene. Its strongest point is how Nichols builds the story, characters, and atmosphere through an ever-present sense of place.
Rated 28 Sep 2023
90
41st
A miserable movie about miserable people living in a miserable town who make mostly poor choices. Still, manages to be quite gripping in its own way. Its unrelenting slice of life style makes it a solid watch.

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