DVD
Clay Pigeons

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Vince Vaughn & Janeane Garofalo
Momentum Pictures
Rental

MP202DVD
Certificate: 15
Available now


When sweet talking cowboy Lester Long swaggers into Clay Bidwell's life, things go from bad to worse. And when dead bodies start pilling up and all the signs start pointing to Clay as the Killer, Long sets out to prove that Clay is innocent...

Clay Pigeons is a fantastically well constructed black comedy. From the opening sequence, where Clay's best friend tries to commit suicide to frame Clay for his murder, you know you are in for a very dark ride. From then on Clay's life takes a nosedive for the worse as he becomes entangled with murders that he has played no real part in.

Vince Vaughn is also great as the rather dumb, cowboy with an eye for the ladies who befriends Clay and tries to keep him out of trouble. But as more and more bodies start to pile up the FBI are brought in to clear things up quickly.

There are some truly shocking moments in this movie, including a knife attack on a past fling of Clay's and the slow realisation that everyone Clay has ever know seems to be truly twisted.

The only moan I could level at this was that the DVD box plastered "produced by Ridley Scott" all over it. Bid deal! But it does explain why there are snippets of his movie dropped in every now and then.

If you are after a fun, very dark, comedy you could do a lot worse than this. Entertaining stuff.

Nick Smithson