There isn't much middle ground between when the Texas-shot movie decides to play it safe and when it decides to be jarringly nihilistic.

SAN ANTONIO For a drama about looking inward, The Good Wolf doesnt successfully encourage any meaningful reflection. For a movie thats fairly brisk, it persists with the subtlety of an insurance commercial. For a story that insists on finding the good in people, its violent flashes of nihilism are more indicative of a narrative mired in existential crisis.

But at least its only 90 minutes long?

The Good Wolf is the feature debut for Texas filmmaker Will Shipley, part of the lineup for this months San Antonio Film Festival and doesnt try to hide what kind of movie its going to be. Its opening shots consist of forest grounds and bits of security tape while, in the background, a news anchor broadcasts a warning of an escaped convict on the loose in Texas. The setup is one weve seen dozens, hundreds, thousands of times before in fiction, but the stakes are nonetheless set in stone on arrival.

Frustratingly, so is everything else. Successful dramas can ensnare an inquisitive moviegoer with a one-sentence elevator pitch; The Good Wolf does the opposite. A gold-hearted inmate befriends a fatherless boy playing in the woodsthat one sentence of plot is all thats needed for your mind to instantaneously map out where the movie probably will go and (unless this is the first film youve seen in 10 years) it will absolutely hit every single one of those beats, hoping we dont notice the lack of originality on the way.

Vic Trevino plays the inmate in question. We will learn the story behind his life sentence. Young Jack Dullnig is Sam, the 12-year-old who forges a connection with him. We will learn to become used to his shallow characterization. A few others fill in the periphery of a story that skirts the natural tension offered by its conceit Can we trust James? Is his friendly approach just an act to get what he needs out of Sam? for a bizarre bond that finds Sam the active agent in setting the movie in motion. After he warily agrees to let James sleep (and hide from the law) in his backwoods treehouse, he bounces back a few hours later with sleeping bag, clothes and an eagerness to camp out with this sweat-streaked man 30 years his senior. Whatever happened to stranger danger?

A feigned sweetness blossoms from the connection, one that never transcends Sams questionable motivations (wait: what exactly are his motivations?). And events pass how we expect them to, almost right when we expect them to. Of course James ends up filling the empty father role. Of course theres a Wanted poster with his face in the convenience store. Of course Sams mom comes home while James is taking a shower. Of course they divulge personal truths in an Independence Day-set scene thats so treacle itll give you cavities. The devotion to formula is overwhelming, and the primary source of intrigue becomes which bad decision of definitely-not-lying-low will have the cops come a-knockin.

Right about now is a good time to mention a caveat about The Good Wolf, and Id be remiss not tothe movie was produced on the shoestringiest of shoestring budgets, with an estimated cost of no more than $10,000. Its a tiny dollar amount that probably represents the cost of lunch on Day 95 of Tenets production, and it certainly isnt a shock to hear it; Shipleys biggest set piece comes in a cruel scene involving a dog, a pillowsack and some firecrackers (yeah, its not one of the films more cathartic moments). But while there are numerous examples in early (and recent!) movie history of budget limitations yielding ingeniously creative works from young filmmakers, here a miniscule budget does not a source for economic movie magic make.

Instead, I was mostly left wanting to watch the Matthew McConaughey vehicle Mud or this years Australian drama Jasper Jones againtwo other films that are smarter and more captivating in their blend of crime drama and coming-of-age character study. There are moments in The Good Wolf including the confoundingly self-defeating climax that make its messaging feel so paradoxical that it borders on incoherence. Thats all the stranger given how straight-faced a story this is, save for a few scenes of jarringly violent character decisions that feel lifted from a bleaker movie.

The best thing about the movie is Trevino, who more often than not effectively personifies a lost soul who doesnt know where to go and might indeed have nowhere to go after nearly a quarter-century behind bars. James is weary of the world and perhaps not long for this version of it, and its the movies most interesting implication that where he ends up was the only place he could end up, so long as you can get past his baffling movie-ending decision, one that makes it feel like we never really got to know the real James at all. While Trevino is capable of the simple part, thought, the child performance anchoring the movies sentimentality just doesnt succeed in terms of believability, relatability or intentionalityand the sparse narrative of The Good Wolf needs plenty of each to be better than it is. Dullnig just isnt done any favors when sharing the screen with Trevino, which is more often than not. Youd find better chemistry on a network news panel, and maybe a more satisfying use of your time, too.

This review was written as part of KENS 5's 2020 San Antonio Film Festival coverage.

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SA Film Fest Review: A convict and boy bond in the overly predictable drama The Good Wolf - KENS5.com