Synopsis
Things are not going well for Wade, a traffic cop with a hurtful past in a small New Hampshire town. As a child, Wade was brutalized by an unloving father and the experience has left him with deep scars. Although he has a girl friend who genuinely cares for him, his wish to have a stable family life is being shattered since his daughter, separated from Wade by divorce, is slipping out of his life. Then one day, a wealthy local business man dies in an apparent hunting accident. Wade begins to suspect a conspiracy, wondering if his friend Jack, who accompanied the businessman on the day, was hired to do the deed. He begins a one-man crusade to investigate the incident but soon his personal life begins to disintegrate at the same time. He gets fired at work for probing into the case and the death of his mother forces him into direct contact with his abusive father, which puts a strain on the relationship with his girl friend Margie. Driven to the edge by the combination of bleak events and circumstances, Wade finally lashes out attacking everyone close to him, bringing them down to a tragic end. By then, we realize that Wade has been trying to avoid falling into the destructive pattern of his dysfuctional family, only to find himself repeating the same cycle of vicious violence. Based on the novel by Russell Banks, the writer of the Sweet Hereafter, this gripping film is perhaps Paul Schrader? best work. Part mystery and part psychological drama, the film is an indictment of family violence in America. Nick Nolte, who played Wade in the film, was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the Academy Awards and won the award in the New York Film Critics Circle Awards. (LEE Jong-Eun)