Pisaries Creator

There are not major spoilers in this review!

Love Lies Bleeding started out so well for a drama, action, crime with violent touches of a romance movie. Then, the ending completely dove into the deep end of the pool and sank to the bottom of it in less than a second. I’m not sure what the screenwriter was thinking when the ending was written. This one scene completely took the viewer out of the whole movie to the point of me wondering what actually happened to the characters of Lou and Jackie. What had I been watching up to now? I mean were some of the events all in Lou’s mind. This wasn’t supposed to be a fantasy movie, but this one scene sure was. This actually made me angry beyond a fleeting moment because there was no lead up to it and didn’t make any damn sense. While the phrase “jumping the shark” is mainly for TV shows, this particular scene definitely jumped the shark. Otherwise, the rest of the movie was worth watching.

The major cast is Kristen Stewart as Lou Langston, Katy O’Brian as Jackie Cleaver, Jena Malone as Beth Langston, Anna Baryshnikov (yes, Mikhail Baryshnikov’s daughter) as Daisy, Dave Franco as J.J., and Ed Harris as Lou Langston, Sr. The screenwriters were Rose Glass and Weronika Tofilska. The director is Rose Glass. The movie is rated R and is one hour and 44 minutes. Love Lies Bleeding takes place in 1989 as noticed by the terrible haircuts and clothing styles. The plot revolves around the relationship of a gym manager, Lou, and a body builder, Jackie, on her way to Las Vegas. When they seek justice for what happened to Lou’s sister in the small New Mexico town they live, Lou’s father tries to protect his family the only way he knows how, which is as a criminal.

In addition to keeping family matters within the family, Lou takes pity on Jackie and allows her to train in the gym and gives her a place to stay when she realizes her father has given her a job at his shooting range. This kindness leads down a path neither one can stop traveling. Think steroid usage, small town violence, gross clogged gym toilets, and family secrets waiting to erupt at any moment. After countless setbacks, Lou and Jackie is able to get peace and quiet together. The final scene redeemed a little bit the terrible previous scene that didn’t make any sense. Love Lies Bleeding was ultimately a combination of Thelma & Louise and any Coen movie with its eccentric characters and dark humor.

I rate Love Lies Bleeding FOUR FINGERS at 90%.