Next in the line of forgettable Guy Pearce movies is Disturbing the Peace. Jim Dillon (Guy
Pearce) is a marshal in the small town of Horse Cave. Once having a prestigious
career as a Texas Ranger, Dillon has renounced carrying a firearm after a
tragedy where he accidentally shot and paralyzed his partner. He decided that the
quiet country life was best for him and the grief that he is harboring. 10
years later Dillon gets word that his former partner has finally died
from the wounds that Dillon inflicted all those years ago. While Dillon didn’t
suffer any legal troubles as the situation was ruled an accident by the Attorney General – it drastically changed countless lives.
As if being sent at the perfect time to test Dillon, a biker
gang led by the calculated Diablo (Devon Sawa) decides to make Horse Camp the
focus of their next big score. After the biker gang cut the power and cell
phone lines (…which I didn’t know could happen) leaving Horse Cave isolated – Dillon
and fellow marshall Matt Reynolds (Michael Sirow) are the only thing standing in the way of Diablo
and company getting the payday of a lifetime. Well the two of them AND Dillon’s
love interest Catie Reynolds (Kelly Greyson) – the local restaurant operator
who packs a mean punch and isn’t afraid to back down from a threat. Just as
Dillon must try and get over the past, it turns out that Diablo has some
history in Horse Cave – but will this history cloud his judgement enough to
ruin the entire gang's plan?
Disturbing the Peace
is a mediocre action film at best. It is a story we’ve all seen, and director York
Alec Shackleton does not do enough to distinguish it from other movies with a similar
plot that have come before it. Most notably, Shackleton employs some handheld shaky-cam footage to try
and mix things up, but that proves to be too little too late. Pearce’s performance is decent enough,
certainly not as good as earlier roles in his career that put him on the map –
but he does not get a lot of help from his supporting cast. Devon Sawa has some
well delivered lines showing that Diablo is not just some uneducated biker gang
member, but a suave and well-informed leader – other than that there is not much
to write home about. There are multiple instances throughout the movie where Disturbing the Peace seems like a
bargain basement straight to DVD flick. Along with the reused plot and subpar acting, the only place I have seen worse aim than
in Disturbing the Peace is from
Stormtroopers throughout the Star Wars
saga. You can go ahead and skip this one, there are countless better options out there.
1.5 out of 5
