165. Steel Country; movie review

STEEL COUNTRY
Cert 15
88 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, language

Hold on, Andrew Scott is as British as... Moriarty, isn't he?
Err. no. He is Irish - born and bred in Dublin... but he certainly ain't from America's rust belt.
Scott has become a familiar face in movies and on TV, he has been in premier films from Saving Private Ryan to Spectre to being the villain in Sherlock Holmes but he is seldom the chief character.
However, here he is as the subject of Simon Fellows' Steel Country - an American binman who seems to be on the autistic spectrum and has intense moral values.
Therefore, he has a very definite view on the upbringing of his daughter (Christa Beth Campbell) even though she lives with her feckless mother (Denise Gough)
He also is very particular how he carries out his bin round with his partner (Bronagh Waugh).
And then he becomes obsessed with the death of a local boy, not believing the official explanation that he drowned.
It isn't clear why Scott's character becomes so embroiled in the case and how, given his apparent special needs, he manages to see beyond a veil of secrecy.
But if the viewer can get over these hurdles they will reap rewards because Scott is in very fine form.
His confused scowl is permanently drawn across his face, only replaced by a beam when with his daughter or talking about her.
He also seems vulnerable to predators who believe he might have been involved in the boy's death.
Indeed, the lack of clarity in his motives for trying to solve the crime lead to an intriguing ambiguity.
Campbell, Gough and Waugh among others give the film extra depth but there is no doubt that Scott's character Donny Devlin is centre stage.
His performance justifies watching Steel Country but, overall, I found it much more gripping than some reviews have suggested.

Reasons to watch: Gripping thriller
Reasons to avoid: Not always easy to follow

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know?  Evidence provided by paedophile hunter groups was used to support 150 of the 302 prosecutions for “grooming” a child to engage in sexual activity in the UK in 2017.

The final word. Gareth Ellis-Unwin (producer): "We worked closely with the Georgia Film Academy – it’s important to me that every production of mine works towards creating opportunities for the next generation of filmmakers, and after scouting we landed on Griffin. It’s an amazing town, in many ways down on its luck – the textile industry left 50+ years ago  leaving the town now with 2nd and 3rd generation poor families, but a brilliant sense of commitment to returning to former glories. It warms me to know we had a positive impact on the town." Raindance

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