LaRoy, Texas

Ray, who runs a hardware store, learns his wife is cheating and is preparing to kill himself in his car when a stranger knocks on the window and hands him an envelope: cash, a photograph and the name of a man to kill. Ray does not correct him. Being mistaken for a hitman looks like the best offer of his life. Shane Atkinson's first feature. John Magaro plays Ray, Steve Zahn the town's self-appointed detective, Dylan Baker the man whose job it really was. The film openly follows the Coen brothers: small town, a misread plan, a body count rising through stupidity, dry humour. Atkinson uses the template knowingly but departs from it in one place: his protagonist is not cunning, he is tired. Magaro's performance is what carries that difference. It is set in Texas, though most of it was shot in New Mexico. Who it is for: viewers who like black comedy and rural crime. Who it is not for: anyone after an original voice; the film hides none of its influences.