One half crime procedural and one half Shakespearean tragedy, Blow the Man Down tells a contemporary, noir-inspired drama of two twenty-something sisters who cover up a murder in a small coastal town of Maine. But their cover-up leads them into unexpected secrets, money, and danger. Lobster traps, fishmongers, and chowder are clever bits of decoration that portray the calloused lives of Down Easters.
Blow the Man Down remains entertaining from beginning to end, because it doesn't try too hard making sure every viewer is constantly enthralled or delighted. Directed and written by newcomers Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Kurdy, their screenplay is so cool, easy, slim, and consistent, the film manages to be beautifully tense in one scene and subtly humorous in the next (and sometimes even both at the same time). A small group of current-day fishermen interject the film singing old pirate sea shanties like a classical Greek chorus gracefully narrating the developing mood of this sly mystery. It's artistic touches like these rugged, stoic, a cappella fishermen that help Blow the Man Down stand out as a creative and engaging piece of independent film. A cast of mostly women (who are complex, strong, and decisive) doesn't hurt either.
Everyone who watches this will stay hooked like a hopeless fish.