Promised Land

Steve Butler arrives in a small town for a natural gas company with one job: persuade farmers to allow drilling on their land. The town is receptive at first, until an environmental activist turns up. Matt Damon and John Krasinski wrote the screenplay from a story by Dave Eggers. Damon was going to direct and stepped down over scheduling, with Gus Van Sant taking over. The film met organised resistance from the energy sector. The Marcellus Shale Coalition bought cinema advertising in Pennsylvania, and one distributor said they had been surprised at the emergence of what looked like a coordinated effort. That one of the production companies was Abu Dhabi's Image Nation also drew criticism given the subject. The turn is this: Dustin Noble, the environmental activist, is actually working for the energy company, sent to discredit legitimate objections. On a 15 million dollar budget it grossed only 12.3 million, with an opening of 190,000 across 25 theatres. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 53 percent, with praise for the cast and criticism for a screenplay that simplifies. The National Board of Review named it one of the best films of 2012. Who it is for: viewers who like small-town drama and quiet political filmmaking. Who it is not for: anyone wanting detail on fracking. The film avoids the technical argument and its resolution is too tidy.