Bene Cumb I have always admired Peter Stormare's acting but I am unable to recall him in a leading role - until now. He provides a strong performance as a religious police officer with violent and painful past, and there are very few scenes without his presence. As for the rest, I cannot find more outstanding features: the plot is slow and dull (the killer can be figured out early), religious soundtrack and church links are annoying, other actors/characters are not catchy. Even in terms of pondering and profundity, there are far more interesting and versatile movies, even from Canada. Luckily, its duration is 1 hour and 10 minutes only.Thus, a film for art's sake, but not interesting to follow. It could just have been a psychological film without any crime at all. By the way, I like the Coens a lot and have seen all of their films. Small Town Murder Songs does not measure up to them.

tflynn-7 This is the absolute worst movie I've ever seen. I kept watching it thinking that it's gotta get better. I held that thought right up to the credits. Don't know where they got the guy who played the police chief, but almost anyone could play his part since his part was mostly sitting quietly and sulking. I'll bet that he didn't say more than 20 words through the whole movie. I don't know why writers think that the brooding, silent type is what people want to see, but as for me, a character like makes me want to slap him and say, "Say something". I've seen some real stinker movies before, but this one takes first place. Just an awful movie!.

Cinnyaste Set in colorless, out-in-the-boonies Ontario, Canada, "Small Town Murder Songs" effectively captures small town life... with a murderer on the loose.Sliced into segments punctuated by biblical quotes, this melancholy tale follows the creepy Police Chief, a Mennonite, as he tracks the killer in an inbred and insular podunk community.Peter Stormare shines as a Police Chief who's a hand grenade with the pin pulled. Seems the Chief's former girlfriend is now shacking up with the main suspect. Also seems the Chief kicked the crap out of someone not too long ago."Small Town Murder Songs" obliquely suggests "Witness." Here the religious spine is irrelevant. This is a most basic redemption story; one that's many times been told. The spiritual slant does little to liberate the common plot. The extraordinary, effective soundtrack emphasizing the title does. The deliberate, bucolic pace and beautifully framed landscapes also add much. Unfortunately, it's not enough. Be prepared to feel like you're listening to a discordant orchestra trying to follow a fumbling maestro's baton.This certainly is not a must see film. It's a slightly odd take on a story you've seen a million times. Watch it, if you must, for Stormare, the soundtrack. For something different. Afterward don't run to me crying, "It wasn't that good."

jjedif In spite of some superficial similarities, "Small Town Murder Songs" is not "Fargo" set across the border in Canada, eh, and that might disappoint some American viewers(ya, you betcha).STMS it strives to be a bit more believable, but it's definitely not as thrilling as, say, "Frozen River", which is set on a Native American reservation on the U.S.-Canada border.At 75 minutes, STMS is much shorter than the standard 100-110-minute theatre film. The film is concise and doesn't waste any time or space and it didn't need to be much longer. Still, it would have helped tremendously if director Gass-Donnelly had added five or 10 minutes to explore the influence of Walter's Mennonite upbringing on his pathos. I think a lot of viewers will be confused by this aspect of the film, I know my wife was.I was also dissatisfied with not knowing more about the victim, but maybe that's because in a U.S. film the audience is often spoon-fed and because unlike real life, the relationship between the victim and her killer is not well known (This was not an episode of "Dateline" or "48 Hours Mystery"). STMS is definitely understated and leaves out some things that many U.S. viewers have come to expect. In a word, it's a Canadian film and it doesn't play to the expectations of U.S. viewers.Still, really the only aspect of the film that left me dissatisfied was Walter's ex. While it is completely believable that she leave Walter (he's a messed up dude and it's clear he really shouldn't be a cop anymore), her choice of a new beau is just not believable, even it adds a lot of tension to the plot.