Doug Burr The structure is somewhat novel. All the scenes are in reverse order. It was okay, but, I have no intention of watching it again. I have two main criticisms. It is not as clever as it thinks it is, and I didn't like any of the character, except maybe the lazy FBI agents. The reverse structure is actually quite tedious at the beginning. It takes quite a while to get into and it is definitely not funny enough to be considered a comedy. Overall, I respect that they tried something unusual, but, it did not manage to win me over. Skip it. P.S. I hate that Mexican woman.

gamefreaklaf This review may contain spoilers.Here are some notes I took while watching the film in real time. ( / indicates break in time taking notes)Tone deaf. / Backwards plot, point? Casting? Three comedy actors for a crime drama. / Bad child actor, unrealistic writing for a kid / Stilted acting. / Why weren't there any police/FBI staking out Andy's house if there's a 10 state radius highway check? / He just left the house no problem When did cop get shot, why is he a part of the case if his brother is a key suspect? Conflict of interest. / FBI guys are completely stupid, you have to be smart to be in the FBI I'm pretty sure. / Gloves??? Crime scene?????? / Prediction: Rainn getting shot at the end by someone other than Ed. Brother perhaps? Deputy? One of them is in bed with the Hispanic lady. / Static shots of people talking... but cameras can actually move. / Gay prostitute because it's shocking and weird! Makes the character less sympathetic, cheap trick. Cliché that politician has a gay lover/man ho. / Very stilted acting, writing is not great at all. / When you poop it makes gross farting sounds every time! / Why was there blood pooled at the bottom of the stairs? Nobody tracked any blood, body was upstairs. (blood on bag maybe?) / Guess gay kid had time to wipe from massive dump cause that's a clean booty. / Amazing timing with radio, why didn't they just have the radio on and have them wake up when they hear their names? / There are no stakes/suspense when you know each new character introduced dies. / Is this a comedy or a drama? Jokes don't fit anywhere organically. Everything Stephane says is sarcastic, trying too hard. / Not local, it's a federal crime to rob a bank. If sheriff is so smart, how'd he not know that? Guess they just give up and let him take the case involving HIS OWN BROTHER robbing a bank. / What is the point of putting a mannequin in your bed if you live alone? I guess that's just Chris being dumb. If the highways are all blocked why wouldn't the airports be as well? Getting passports are a wast of time. / How did none of the bullets hit Steph? Was behind a cheap motel wall against 9mm Uzi rounds at the least, .45 ACP at most. / Motivation for an upper middle class prosecutor to rob a bank? Why is Rainn so aggravated with family for no reason? / Prediction: Is it not Ed's kid too? Why is she more upset and claiming he wasn't? Not his kid, affair. / Prediction: The look Steph gave when Rainn was trash talking his brother - they're banging and he is covering for her. Maybe his kid? Possible revenge against Ed/Chris/Rainn/judge for the kid dying. Got confession from Rainn earlier in film in a conversation that had nothing to do with kid dying. / Don't hold a gun like that. / Stilted acting again. / Brain matter? There would be brain matter there in the pool of blood. / Filling in a hole as big as a car would take for-freaking-ever.No reason for backwards plot besides reveal that Ed died much earlier and they have same tattoo for some reason? Could've concealed the death better while keeping forward moving plot. Some points could be attributed to sheriff controlling where police are, etc. but still does not explain away that THIS IS A FEDERAL CRIME and that the FBI 100% have jurisdiction.Those particular FBI guys had no reason to be in the film, didn't move plot forward in the slightest. Only were there to frustrate me. Also what is Rainn Wilson's character's motivation for robbing a bank? Seems pretty well off. Great sheriff who murders people for justice. We never had a chance to root for him. Literally called the twist 15- 20 minutes in. Comedic stuff was a waste in a story about a sheriff who had a bastard with his friend's wife taking revenge on the friend, his own brother, a judge, and some idiot for accidentally killing the bastard child, undermining his own job and everything it stands for.

reb-warrior A bank robbery has taken place in a small town. The story is told backwards. So the beginning of the movie starts the next day after the robbery, Friday. By the time you get to the last day, which is Tuesday, it explains what is really going on. It's way more than just a bank robbery.I actually did figure this out by the middle of the third day. Pay attention to the clues, which includes the history of a certain event, notice the disposition of certain characters, plus it's styled sort of like Fargo.It's a well told thriller which is nicely layered with dark humor, history, clues, and quirky characters.If you like Fargo, Momento, Gone Girl, you'll probably really enjoy this.

jtindahouse There are two reasons you might make a film with a non-linear time line. The first is that you have a twist in your film, however the twist doesn't come at the end of your story so you need to make it happen at the end of your story (much like 'Memento' did). The second, and inferior, reason is that your film simply isn't unique enough on its own. 'Shimmer Lake' is a combination of both of these reasons I suspect. There's a twist of sorts which would have come at the beginning of the film and now comes at the end. But what they won't tell you is that by doing this it is also hiding the fact that this is a very run-of-the-mill story line told a thousand times over. I'm sorry, but it really is. There is nothing fresh here in that regard. I feel like there were a lot of missed opportunities in this script as well. It should have been more fun. There should have been more reveals (or at least more important ones). As each day goes by backwards, it feels more like things are simply being confirmed for us, rather than taking us by surprise. There's also a quite bizarre tone to the film. There are a few actors in the cast known primarily for their comedic talents. When they're on screen the whole film feels more like a comedy than anything else. Then when they're not on screen the film decides to take itself very seriously. In that respect the film is an absolute mess that looks like it has been dissected a hundred times over in the editing room. There was an idea here that could have been good, but that was as far as things got. Sadly this is a misfire.