Clay Pigeons is one of the odder films floating around out there, but it's a damn good time at the movies. It fits into a subgenre that I have lovingly dub as 'desert noir', other prime examples being Oliver Stone's U Turn and John Dahl's Red Rock West. Intrigue and murder abound under a sun soaked, parchment dry landscape in these types of films, always with a healthy helping of dark humour and unsettling, psychopathic characters running around, perpetually up to no good. Joaquin Phoenix (adding to the U Turn vibe) plays Clay, a good guy who seems to have a real problem with bad luck. He finds out his friend has killed himself, which seems to be the first swirl in a spooky spiral of trouble that veers towards him like a dust devil. Soon nosy FBI agent Dale Shelby (reliably perky Janeane Garofalo) comes to town, turning her attention towards him. Dan Mooney (ever great Scott Wilson stealing scenes with perched stealth) is Clay's friend and the town Sheriff, also on the lookout for clues. These two are the least of his worries though, as the worst is yet to come with the arrival of charming serial killer Lester Long (Vince Vaughn). This is my favourite Vince Vaughn performance because he shows his versatility with the brittle, lightning quick turns of personality injected into Lester. One minute he's your best buddy and a lovable loudmouth, the next a coiled viper with untold violence beneath the jovial exterior. They always say serial killers are charmers, and Vince Vaughn takes that sentiment, dances around you in circles with it and then proceeds to strangle you with it when you least expect it. So yeah. The bodies pile up and no one seems to be able to tie them to anyone. Lester treats everyone like his best friend until they're too comfortable to see the blind side coming, and poor Phoenix wanders around looking disshvelled and stressed out. It's good fun all the way through, doing a nice see-saw rhythm between quaint, cartoonish antics and a grim, scary turn of events. Underrated and more than worth your time.

This is exactly the sort of low-key offbeat thriller that I really love. This is why the words strange and quirky were invented. Every actor's performance is totally solid and natural and you really don't know how it's going to move next. Some of the violence is a bit harsh, but not excessively so by modern standards. Vince Vaughn disturbingly captures malevolence especially well. It also has elements of dark humor to really round out the script.This film was just great all the way through to the very ending. A true hidden gem--really shows what can be done on what must have been a pretty low budget.

The indie quirk is a familiar substance that can be a lot of fun in the right situation. Clay Pigeons is just what we're looking for. It's an offbeat film about Clay Bidwell, played by Joaquin Phoenix, whose life takes a dark turn after his best friend commits suicide after finding out Clay has been sleeping with his wife, Amanda. Clay, not wanting anybody to find out about him and Amanda, disposes of the body. This leads to a bundle of lies that pile on one another and are further complicated by the arrival of a mysterious cowboy named Lester Long. Clay quickly learns some very dark secrets about Lester and is forced into helping him keep those secrets. It's a twisted and backwards ride that at times doesn't even feel real it is so bizarre. This film is loads of fun and is a thrilling joy to watch.Clay Pigeons is a film that seems to take itself seriously, but also has a very dark, very grim, sense of humor that pokes its head out in all the wrong places. It comes out in the form of sickening irony and strange satire that plays up the film's dark quirkiness. But these nuances never feel forced and they always seem appropriate for the kind of atmosphere Clay Pigeons tries to capture. The film stays consistent with its dark mood. It gets intense but there's always a hint of sadistic humor hidden in the seriousness of the film.It achieves this balance of two tones through a variety of things. One such element would be the ironically twangy score. There are scenes of murder and violence set to the dueling banjos we're all so familiar with. The film is consistently driven by a very country score that feels so odd and out of place that it makes the film feel just right in all its offbeat finesse. David Dobkin, the film's director, shoots Clay Pigeons with a quirky camera eye with certain shots that are set up very well and capture an ironic intensity that makes the film feel even stranger.And there's no way to talk about this film without mentioning the fantastic performances from the two leads, Joaquin Phoenix and Vince Vaughn. Phoenix is the unfortunate sucker who gets dragged into the events of the film, constantly wanting out but never being able to find a way to escape. Vaughn is the villain of the film who is entertaining yet disturbing. He is an incredibly fun character but also incredibly creepy. You're never too sure what is going on in his disturbed mind and Vaughn pulls off his offbeat edge perfectly. From the horribly stereotypical cowboy get-up to the hilarious yet slightly unsettling laugh, Vince Vaughn's portrayal of the devilish Lester Long is on the nose.Clay Pigeons is one of those films that you have to see to believe. It is very strange and it is difficult to know what to make of it, but there's something about it that is ironically fun. It is quirky, it is offbeat, and yet it is serious. Everything about the film matches this mishmash of moods and makes the film feel completely strange overall. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this film for the strange little ball of odd it was.

I kind of liked it. Oh, it's leisurely and the plot is nothing special, but the overall impact on the viewer is likely to be positive.The acting, for instance, is pretty good. Joaquin Phoenix seems to have gotten bonier as he's matured and has acquired some character. He's alright, and the director gives him room. When his ex-girl friend shoots his current lover, he throws the perpetrator against a wall and pressing her with his left forearm he repeatedly punches his right fist against the wood panel next to her head. Then he pauses, his triceps quivering, holds the position for an unusually long period, and then he delivers another blow to the smashed wood. It's a tiny wordless explosion of impotent rage, and it's perfectly timed. Phoenix is suspected of multiple murders actually committed by a recent acquaintance. He's afraid to go to the police because, well, things would look a little fishy, what with his knowing the victims and having struck one of them just before she disappeared.Janeane Garofalo is petite and not strikingly beautiful as an FBI agent who smokes grass and then eats pizza, and all the while the gears in her brain are still whirling. She's businesslike, utters clipped, sarcastic remarks, and has a smile full of dazzlingly white teeth that belong in a commercial for Bright Strip. Okay. Strictly routine. But then we see her in a bar, getting into some scotch, and she is getting hit on by Vince Vaughn who, unbeknownst to her, is the serial killer she's searching for. Here's the thing about that scene. Considering what we've seen of her character so far, we fully expect her to advise Vaughn to take up residence in a place where the sun don't shine -- but no! Like an actor in a Greek drama, she holds up another persona. She becomes girlish and responsive, flattered by Vaughn's clumsy and overobvious attention, and playful with him before he hustles off with his next victim, leaving Garafolo clearly a little unhappy. Again, it isn't much, not a display of thespian fireworks, but it TELLS us something we wouldn't have guessed about her. She's a woman under that badge and behind that gun. Her character has acquired another dimension. She's no longer a stereotype. And the scene impresses on us the fake rapport that the killer can generate in strangers.Vince Vaughn has the showiest role, a big, affable, charming, slightly dumb cowboy with a yen for cutting up cute girls into little pieces. His performance, alas, is as bland as his face, although it's professional. He doesn't blow it. He just doesn't bring much to the party.Scott Wilson is the local sheriff. He's turned into a decent character actor, light years away from his murderer in "In Cold Blood." He's feeble, shuffling, spare of speech, and a little morose, as if filled with guilt for having slaughtered the Clutter family.The score is quite original too. None of it is what you'd expect from a movie about a serial murderer. There are some country and western tunes in the background, Elvis Presley, "Moon Over Montana," reflecting the rather dreary social atmosphere of the town. As Vaughn says at one point, "Country music is an acquired taste." (Garofalo's reply: "No it isn't. I've listened to it and hated it from the beginning. Scotch is an acquired taste.") But then the underscore comes up with some strange sounds indeed. Tympani are repeatedly swept up and down as if rolling over Montana's hills. Odd, unexpected clicks and clacks. It doesn't distract the viewer and it comes across as apt in a queer way. But the score isn't of a piece either. It's made up of multiple discordant riffs drawn from different quarters and pasted together. It's a nicely judged piece of work, striking a neat mean between being loud and edgy and being soft and dull. The script itself may be routine but the actors and the director lend it fresh dimensions.