The Tall Man was a difficult flick to get into at SXSW because of all the positive buzz about the movie. On top of that, the final screening was at a small theater called The Violet Crown. I was put on a wait list, but I finally managed to make it in after some of the film guests did not arrive. The theater itself was a treat: Leather recliners lined the front of the theater. I did manage to find a recliner when I first arrived to the theater, but — oh, right, you’re here for the review.
The Tall Man had an interesting premise: Children were missing from a small town; they were being taken by a rumored guy called The Tall Man. Who is this mysterious tall man, and what is he doing with the children? I thought that was a pretty cool idea for a movie, so I was expecting some kind of horror movie. Someone in line at one of the shows told me it was more of a thriller, and I agree.
The plot of The Tall Man has more twists and turns than I have seen in a movie in a long time. I sort-of got an idea of what was going on in the movie near the end, but not much gets past me plot-wise these days. Still, the movie had me guessing for quite a while.
The pacing was a bit slow near the beginning, but you kind of have to see all that stuff to get an idea of how things work later in the movie. If you find yourself getting bored near the beginning, just keep watching, because it will pay off. I can’t really say much more about the movie because it would give away important elements of the plot.
I would recommend watching this movie at least once because it’s very unique in structure with all its twists and turns. Also, it has Jessica Biel and Stephen McHattie, if you like those people. I can easily give this movie 4 out of 5 Nerdskulls.
