Movie review: Promised Land

UNITED STATES - As with any movie straddling fiction and socio-political commentary, Promised Land is predictably dry.

Matt Damon stars as Steve Butler, a sales executive at an energy company with an excellent track record for closing deals quickly and cheaply.

When an easy deal for resource extraction in a small Pennsylvanian town turns ugly with the appearance of an environmental activist (John Krasinki) , Steve and his no-nonsense partner Sue (Frances McDormand) are then pushed to fight even harder.

With Promised Land, director Gus Van Sant

has done a great job of not dumbing down the material for his audience.

The movie glosses over the details of the process - hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" - but the issues the town's characters face are very real.

The ethical issues the movie discusses are also in line with all the bad press on fracking.

I like that Promised Land moves at the pace one expects of a small, close-knit town - slow enough that you get to know all the characters and understand their difficulties.

The cast is great, especially McDormand, who brings a much-needed edge to the movie and does justice to Damon and Krasinki's screenplay

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