The Locusts

 3/4

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Kate Capshaw, Jeremy Davies, Ashley Judd, Paul Rudd, Jessica Capshaw

Rated R for Sexuality

Plainly speaking, "The Locusts" is an old story told well.  The plot has been seen before, but the writing and the acting breathe new life into it.  I've often defended films that use old formulas as long as the intangibles are in place, and that's true here.

Clay Hewitt (Vaughn) is a man without a past who arrives in a small farm town one day.  He's looking for a bit of work to finance a trip across country to visit his brother, a U.S. Marine.  He gets a job as a ranch hand working for Delilah Ashford Potts (Capshaw), who has a reputation for giving her workers "a room, a job, and a whole lot more than [they] bargained for."  Clay soon starts making waves by wooing a local girl named Kitty (Judd) away from her alcoholic brute of a boyfriend and striking up a friendship with Flyboy (Davies), Mrs. Potts's troubled son.  This doesn't sit well with her, and she rules the farm with an iron grip.

Acting is one of the film's strong suits, with one exception.  Vince Vaughn is surprisingly good as the likable Clay.  He's handsome and charismatic, but of course he's searching for more than just a reunion with his brother.  Vaughn is best known as a funnyman and doesn't have a lot of dramatic range (how much better would "The Cell" have been had J. Lo been paired with someone of equal stature?), but he's quite good here.  Vaughn may not have as much machismo as one would have liked for a role like this, but that's a small quibble.  Jeremy Davies is excellent as the damaged Flyboy, who is so shy that he can hardly speak and accepts his role as Delilah's servant.  Ashley Judd lights up the screen with real warmth and screen presence.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Spielberg doesn't hold up her end in the key role of Delilah.  Bearing a strong resemblance to Linda Hamilton, she plays the obligatory femme fatale.  Delilah is bad to the bone, but Capshaw lacks the range and sultry sexuality needed to pull it off.

This was the debut (and, thus far, the only one) film of John Patrick Kelley.  He has a gift for dialogue and using actors.  He creates a world that these characters live in, and allows them room to breathe (too much room, if you ask me, as about 10 minutes could have been cut out).  It's the kind of film that gets a young director noticed, but for whatever reason Kelley's career never took off.

Flaws are few, but noticeable.  Some of the background information is either not shown or not communicated well enough.  For example, it is heavily implied that Delilah takes on Clay as her latest conquest, but this isn't shown.  I get that it is implied, but showing is better than telling.  Or implying.  And as much of a revelation as Jeremy Davies' performance is (it got him his role in "Saving Private Ryan"), his lack of communication skills makes it hard to discern key information, and robs some big moments of much of their dramatic power.  This also goes for a seemingly innocuous conversation early on as well.  Still, the final act pacts an emotional wallop.

"The Locusts" is a modest film that is content to simply tell its story.  It isn't perfect, but I have no qualms about recommending this film.  If you can find a copy, that is.