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Movies / On DVD / Chrystal
Chrystal

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Chrystal (2004)

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80 %
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Reviews Counted: 20

Fresh: 16

Rotten:4

Average Rating: 7/10

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Set in the back woods and bar rooms of the South, CHRYSTAL not only transports you to this evocative place, but also plugs you into its pulse. Sixteen years after Joe (Billy Bob Thornton) plunged the family car off the road with his... Set in the back woods and bar rooms of the South, CHRYSTAL not only transports you to this evocative place, but also plugs you into its pulse. Sixteen years after Joe (Billy Bob Thornton) plunged the family car off the road with his beautiful wife Chrystal and their young son inside, Joe returns from prison seeking what was lost on that night. The thing Joe needs the most is the hardest to ask for — his own redemption. Writer/director Ray McKinnon co-stars brilliantly as Snake, Joe's nemesis, who is looking to settle an old score. Lisa Blount is breathtaking as Chrystal, trapped in a body racked with pain from the crash, her eyes serving as windows to another time and place in the sultry hills of the South. With vivid images and outstanding performances, McKinnon's unvarnished realism embraces his characters in their fight for emotional survival—creating a world of painfully lyrical beauty, set to an amazing soundtrack which includes The Drive-By Truckers, Jay Farrar, and Tim Eriksen. -- © First Look Media [More]

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Lisa Blount, Ray McKinnon, Harry Dean Stanton

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Lisa Blount, Ray McKinnon, Harry Dean Stanton

Director: Ray McKinnon

Director: Ray McKinnon
Composer: Stephen Trask
Studio: First Look

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Chrystal

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Onion AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
Onion AV Club
Ratings Image

A sometimes audacious, occasionally downright brilliant, always watchable work that somehow just misses being wholly successful.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
09/01/05
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Ratings Image

While some of the low-key atmospherics are effective, and Thornton suffers with exquisite quietude, some important scenes unfortunately are clumsily staged.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
06/10/05
David Kronke
Los Angeles Daily News
Ratings Image

Chrystal unravels a bit toward the end as it becomes more fable-like, but the performances make it worthwhile.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
06/09/05
Kevin Crust
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Respectable piece of work is reasonably involving if not compelling.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
05/27/05
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

It's meandering and uneven, but much of it is powerfully effective and affecting.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
05/27/05
Eric Harrison
Houston Chronicle
Ratings Image

No slam against the O Brother ,Where Art Thou? soundtrack but Chrystal could give it a run for its money.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | comment 1 Comment
04/23/05
Jonathan W. Hickman
Entertainment Insiders
Ratings Image

Even those impatient viewers who feel like they're watching paint dry will admit that the colors are beautiful.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
04/23/05
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News
Ratings Image

Looks and feels authentic in a way only a Southern director is likely to achieve.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
04/22/05
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer
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An affecting melodrama that's deep-fried in Southern heritage right down to its ribs.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
04/21/05
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing
Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
04/17/05
Marrit Ingman
Austin Chronicle
Ratings Image

Moves at a virtually glacial pace, dramatizing its story less than entombing it...lacks the radiance it obviously aspires to.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
04/16/05
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
Ratings Image

This would have been a better movie if it was just the Chrystal and Joe story... without some of the side bar events that don't advance the story.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
04/15/05
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com
Ratings Image

Triple threat writer/actor/director Ray McKinnon renders a strange tale set in the beauty of the Ozarks.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment Comment
04/13/05
Boo Allen
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)
Ratings Image

... a masterful and assured movie about the ways broken people try to mend connections and carry on.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
04/08/05
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ratings Image

An oddly beautiful film.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
04/07/05
Bob Longino
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ratings Image

A two-hour film that contains a story that could have been smoothly detailed in thirty minutes.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
03/16/04
Brad Slager
Film Threat
Ratings Image

A grand story of redemption, laced with barbecued wit and slopped with intrigue.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
03/16/04
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

A harrowing and indelible evocation of loss and the fragility of life.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
03/16/04
Pam Grady
Reel.com
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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Latest News for Chrystal

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See More Topics...

Related Forums for Chrystal

REEL_REVIEWER
CHRYSTAL opens today in the Ozarks and GA, coming soon to a Southern cinema near you?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 6/6/05


REEL_REVIEWER
CHRYSTAL opens today in the Ozarks and GA, coming soon to a Southern cinema near you?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 6/6/05


REEL_REVIEWER
CHRYSTAL opens today in the Ozarks and GA, coming soon to a Southern cinema near you?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 6/6/05


REEL_REVIEWER
CHRYSTAL opens today in the Ozarks and GA, coming soon to a Southern cinema near you?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 6/6/05


soundtrack
by: dakranii 3/28/05
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