Directed by: Toor Mian
Starring: Bill Thomas, Sean Knopp, Ross Mullan, Paul Marc Davis, Kelly Eastwood
Have you ever watched a film you knew absolutely nothing about and once it’s over you are completely floored by what you’ve just seen? Enter ‘The Sky in Bloom,’ a film with great characters who deliver clever, snappy, and witty dialog that, at times, shows sparks of genius, not unlike that of Tarantino or Ritchie. Writer/Director Toor Mian has done such a great job with this terrific little thriller that I am going to keep my eye out for what he has coming next.
The film begins with a man driving another into a secluded field, with devilish intent, before rewinding to a few days prior, where we are introduced to the usual array of low-life characters. Mr. Hammond (Thomas) is a loving father who is dying, co-runs a successful human trafficking and prostitution business, and has an oddly funny obsession with carpeting. Sean (Knopp) and Ducek (Mullan) are two enforcer types whom are employed by Mr. Hammond and come across a peculiar murder that requires Mr. Hammond’s help as they attempt to find the one responsible, before the one responsible gets all of them.
What seems like a cut and dried story becomes a bit more complex when Sean is revealed to be dating and in love with Mr. Hammond’s beautiful daughter, Amy (Eastwood), without his knowledge. Sean must then tip-toe his way around Mr. Hammond until he finds the best moment to ask permission to marry her. Unaware of Sean and her father’s real occupation, Amy, who is the only clean-souled character in the entire film, has no idea why Sean is so frightened by her father.
With a great cast and script, the only real drawback to this intelligent, entertaining film is when the camera becomes a little jittery during the intense scenes, but I have to give credit to Mian for being able to go from dark comedy to horror with such ease. Hopefully, this great outing will help Mian work his way up to a bigger production budget, like Rian Johnson working his way from 'Brick' to 'Looper'.
Ultimately, if you enjoy the quick dialog and quirky characters of Tarantino and Ritchie or even dark comedies like ‘In Bruges,’ I know you will enjoy this as much as I did.
7/10
Andy Comer