Hundreds of thousands of dollars in missing cash. Blackmail. Violent deaths. For a seemingly lifeless town, there’s a lot going on in LaRoy, Texas.
★★★★☆
Ray (John Magaro) is a man living a simple life, married to the local beauty pageant queen and working at his family hardware store alongside his brother, Junior (Matthew Del Negro). He’s not unhappy, but he’s not quite happy either. The happiness of his wife Stacy-Lynn (Megan Stevenson) results in his own happiness. The problem is, she’s not happy—at least not with him.
On the brink of suicide, Ray is in the wrong place at the wrong time. When he’s suddenly mistaken for a hitman and handed thousands of dollars to kill a man named James Barlow (Vic Browder), he obliges. What does he have to lose? As the mystery develops and bodies keep piling up, Ray and his newfound buddy-turned-private-detective Skip (Steve Zahn) must solve the web of crimes they’re tangled up in. That, and avoid getting whacked by the real hitman, Harry (Dylan Baker).
The opening scene is surprisingly chilling, with razor-sharp dialogue and a clever twist out of nowhere that proves anyone in this film can be dangerous. Without spoiling how this opening ends, it makes one thing clear: never accept a ride from Dylan Baker. This scene alone sets a high bar and establishes a serious tone in the vein of No Country for Old Men, with elements of Fargo mixed in.
Indeed, LaRoy Texas feels like the product of a third Coen brother. If you weren’t a fan of Drive-Away Dolls then this is a decent substitute. The influence of the Coen brothers is apparent, but not to the point of pastiche. Behind all the failed suicide attempts, murder, adultery and worse, there’s always a wicked sense of dark humour at its core that churns out some genuinely funny moments. What this amounts to is a blend of comedy and thriller, mixing nihilism and tongue-in-cheek humour that never feels oppressively bleak.
Zahn is absolutely hilarious, his zaniness and energy make him the absolute highlight of the film. Dressed head-to-toe as a cowboy, he wants nothing more than to be taken seriously as a private eye by the police officers who keep making fun of him. On the flip side, Baker is outright terrifying as the Anton Chigurgh-esque hitman who always makes a point to “finish what you start”, demonstrating a level of untapped menace there should have been more of.
The main thing LaRoy struggles with is deciding what it has to say. Unlike a lot of crime films, there’s no tale of morality here. Although many of the worst people get what’s coming to them, there are still plenty of characters left deserving more punishment than they get; equally, comparatively innocent characters caught in the crossfire.
This ambiguous approach to morality goes hand in hand with the characters. Rather than a hero to root for and watch grow, the protagonist is someone we pity. Time and time again, director Shane Atkinson gives us a window into the depressing and desperate life Ray lives. He’s a complete pushover, whether it’s his crooked brother swindling him out of the money he deserves or his unfaithful wife. The naivety Magaro can draw out makes the comedic nature of his role one filled with sadness—ultimately setting a foundation of emotional groundedness for Laroy to lean into.
The Verdict
Overall, Laroy, Texas is a fun time with lots of shenanigans and grit to sink your teeth into. Full of great moments that make it feel like half its runtime, there’s a lot that anyone can get a kick out of in Atkinson’s feature debut.
LaRoy, Texas, is available to stream via all major UK digital platforms from 12th April.
Words by Kieran Webb
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