MAX DAGAN
Terre Weisman brings festival audiences MAX DAGAN, the story of a father convicted of manslaughter and a son who works tirelessly to get him out, wading through years of secrets, lies, and corruption.
The cast is fantastic. Jay Mohr makes a particularly smarmy appearance. Michael Madsen is perfect as a corrupt cop. Lisa Roumain is spectacular as Ilene. She brings unresolved trauma to the screen in a visceral way.
Rob Morrow gives Albert a down-to-earth quality that we’ve come to love about him. I’ve been a solid fan since he starred in NUMB3RS with David Krumholtz. Morrow’s humanity is quintessential for the heaviness of Albert’s circumstances.
Zachary Gordon is the highlight of the film. Get him in more leading roles at this stage of his career. His effortlessly strong presence fills each scene. Gordon begs your attention.
The script is relatively predictable, except for one late reveal that had me simultaneously yelling, “WTF?”. It’s something you’ll have to witness to understand. Overall, the editing and storytelling style feels disjointed. Even at only an hour and thirty-plus minute run, the cuts feel like snippets of a Law & Order series rather than a single film.
That said, the performances are top-notch. They earn your views. The underlying message of hope, resilience, and redemption will undoubtedly resonate with a broad audience.
You can get tickets to Max Dagan at the Tuscan Film Festival Here
Max Dagan (Zachary Gordon) strives to exonerate his father, Albert (Rob Morrow), who has been wrongfully sentenced to 15 years for the manslaughter of a State Trooper. Armed with a vintage Fender guitar, Max faces a corrupt detective (Michael Madsen) and must confront painful family issues, including reconciling with his estranged uncle (Rob Brownstein) and collaborating with the daughter (Lindsey Dresbach) of the deceased trooper. As he seeks evidence for his father’s compassionate release, both families discover unexpected connections in their shared struggles.
The film begins with intriguing flashbacks of a cult murder, newspaper clippings, and a hauntingly saccharine song. The setup immediately captured my attention. A sudden shift in style and time reveals Karma and Sunny living in fear and relying on the kindness of former cult members for protection. Small crumbs of cult life are just enough to keep you invested in Karma’s fate.
Michael Madsen is vile. His iconic voice serves him well as Paul, giving him an effortless presence. He could have been made more menacing with a few tighter shots overall. Kimberly Alexander plays Sunny with extraordinary nuance. This roller coaster ride of a role spans every emotion; adoration, cruelty, and unadulterated honesty. Alexander goes for it.
It takes a solid 25 mins to get to any action, but then it is pretty much maniacal from there on out. The plot gets more sick and twisted as we roll along, both physically and psychologically. WAKING KARMA shines brightest in the scenes between mother and daughter. The shockingly devastating dialogue by director Liz Fania Werner with co-director Carlos Montaner‘s DP work almost demands an in-depth 
Playing like a graphic novel, with characters’ names scrawled next to their introduction, the gunfire is chaotic and aplenty. I watched this a 2-hour film a second time to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. I think I still am. Even after my second viewing, American Night remains confusing in its non-linear storytelling. Listen, I wanted to love this film. The potential is there.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers does his best to make American Night engaging. His character, John, attempts to make amends in love and begin an honest career. He’s strong as ever, in true neo-noir fashion. Though try as he might, he cannot hold up an uneven narrative that relies on cliché over concept. Jeremy Piven steals the show. The seriousness in which his character desires to be a ninja becomes the much-needed levity in all these convoluted shenanigans. I would happily watch an entire film about him. Emile Hirsch is the son of a New York City Mafia boss Michael Rubino, whose love of art plays above all else. That, and perhaps, his ego and an incredibly random love for scorpions. The performance goes from levelheaded to absurd based on the script. Hirsch takes it all in strive with 100% commitment.
Here’s what doesn’t work for me; it takes 1 hour and 25 minutes for the stories to finally overlap after living them from different perspectives. The runtime would benefit from a 20-minute shave. Some of the delivery from ancillary characters reads as hokey. Okay, a lot of the dialogue does. The film includes one of the most ridiculous sex scenes ever. It seems like a laughable excuse to have Paz Vega appear naked onscreen.
The Weinstein Company today revealed the full official cast for Academy Award-winning writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming post-Civil War western, The Hateful Eight
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