Movie: The Big Empty (C, SF)

The Big Empty is an odd movie. Jon Favreau plays John Person, an out-of-work actor, who is instructed to deliver a blue suitcase to a guy named Cowboy (Sean Bean) in exchange for $28,000. He then spends several days in Baker, CA, mixing it up with the local crazies while he waits for Cowboy. (Apparently, everyone in town believes the nearby desert area is an interplanetary truck stop where aliens pick up human folks.)

John Person is a nice guy in over his head. He tries admirably to deal with these folks, but they have no sense of boundaries or personal space. He must also deal with an FBI agent (Kelsey Grammer) who's sniffing around.

Since my blog tends to be a Sean Bean gushfest, I have to tell you how great the character of Cowboy is. We hear about him from a variety of other characters before we ever see him, which creates a sense of mystique which his actual on-screen presence certainly validates. He is purposeful, quiet, dangerous, and very creepy. This guy doesn't mess around. He also doesn't tell anyone what's going on, so Person has to play along until he gets out of this mess.

The climax of the story was quite unexpected, although I did guess what was in the suitcase. Grade: B+