Taglines: It’s important to finish things.
LaRoy, Texas movie storyline. Harry is a hitman. And once he dispatches with his first victim—one on a long list of many—he is called for another job. This one, in the tiny brush town of LaRoy, Texas. Atkinson’s hilarious feature debut is a barn burner of a western-thriller whose Coen Brothers-inspired nods give life to its meek protagonist.
In another twist, the protagonist is not Harry. It’s Ray (the quietly affecting John Magaro), a native of LaRoy, Texas. Early in the film, Ray meets with Skip (an endearing Steve Zahn), who’s just begun a job as a private investigator. Skip is a bumbling, kindhearted idiot; he dresses in a Black cowboy hat and blazer, probably because he’s watched one too many “Walker, Texas Ranger” episodes. But he does have important information: black and white photos of Ray’s beauty queen wife Stacy-Lynn (Megan Stevenson) stepping inside a seedy motel room. The revelation forces a shell-shocked Ray to please the demanding Stacy-Lynn by fulfilling her dream. He wants to fund her salon—he just needs to find some cash.
Ray is an all-too-trusting man. For one, he doesn’t believe Stacy-Lynn could ever cheat on him. Worst yet, when he turns to his prickish brother Junior (Matthew Del Negro), who owns the family hardware store with Ray, for extra money, he buys Junior’s cries of poverty despite his brother buying a brand new yacht for his palatial home. Ray is so pitiful he buys a gun so he might shoot himself in a strip joint’s parking lot.
By chance, however, a man jumps in his car with an envelope of cash to pay for a scheduled hit. Wanting to finally be somebody, Ray plays the part of Harry. He assassinates his target, is then thrown into a wider conspiracy involving a used car salesman, and then must retrieve a suitcase full of cash before Harry hunts him down—all while trying to save his flatlining marriage.
LaRoy, Texas is a 2023 American crime comedy film written and directed by Shane Atkinson, and starring John Magaro, Steve Zahn, Megan Stevenson, Matthew Del Negro and Dylan Baker. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 8, 2023. It was released by Brainstorm Media on April 12, 2024.
LaRoy, Texas (2024)
Directed by: Shane Atkinson
Starring: John Magaro, Steve Zahn, Dylan Baker, Megan Stevenson, Matthew Del Negro, Brannon Cross, Vic Browder, Darcy Shean, Emily Pendergast, Brad Leland, Galadriel Stineman, Bob Clendenin
Screenplay by: Shane Atkinson
Production Design by: R. Tyler Evans
Cinematography by: Mingjue Hu
Film Editing by: Sebastian Mialik
Costume Design by: Greg LaVoi
Art Direction by: Lorus Allen
Music by: Delphine Malaussena, Rim Laurens, Clément Peiffer
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Brainstorm Media
Release Date: June 8, 2023 (Tribeca), April 12, 2024 (United States)
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