Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Blow the Man Down’ on Amazon Prime, a Coenesque Comedy About the Dark Underbelly of a Seaside Town

Amazon Prime snapped up salt-water noir Blow the Man Down after its 2019 Tribeca Film Festival debut, brought it to Toronto as part of its fest run and now offers it on Prime for your streaming pleasure. Written and directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, the movie is a dark comedy set in a rural area where people talk kinda funny and have to shovel snow, so of course it draws comparison to a certain other dark comedy set in a rural area where people talk kinda funny and have to shovel snow, and that might just be among the greatest films ever made, you betcha, yah. But does it transcend its influences to stand on its own?

BLOW THE MAN DOWN: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Easter Cove, Maine. Men at the docks sing a sea shanty that happens to also be the movie title. Fishmonger Mary Margaret Connolly is dead, leaving behind a lobster shop, a house in foreclosure, hospital bills, two twentysomething daughters — Priscilla (Sophie Lowe) and Mary Beth (Morgan Saylor) — and a secret or three. Her oldest friends gather: Suze (June Squibb), Doreen (Marceline Hugot) and Gail (Annette O’Toole). Not present is Enid (Margo Martindale), which is curious but, as we may learn later, maybe not surprising.

Priscilla stayed in Easter Cover to help her mom with the shop. Mary Beth went away to college, but dropped out when their mom got sick. Understandably, Mary Beth is upset, her dreams derailed and her problems compounded. She hits the bar and sidles up next to the Wrong Freakin’ Guy, Gorski (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). They get loaded and she drives his car back to his place, leaving behind a trail of evidence that becomes highly relevant once she spots things in his trunk that might be interesting to the cops, learns he’s an aggressive and grabby pig, and harpoons the bastard.

She hyperventilates the story to Pris, who considers calling the cops, but drops the phone and grabs her boning knife, which she just used to hack the head off a haddock. Maybe you can see where this is headed. Yep. The Underbelly. And at the Underbelly, there’s always a brothel, a bag of cash, a fib or three, some stocking caps to keep ya warm and an earnest cop (Will Brittain) poking around. Oh, and some loose ends dangling like fishing lines in the water.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: “Whatcha watchin’, Wade?” “Gophers.”

“He’s a little guy, kinda funny lookin’.”

“I want pancakes house.”

“I’m not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work there Lou.”

Performance Worth Watching: Martindale enjoys the beefiest supporting role, tapping veins of tragedy and menace to play a woman with a Jag and a cane and furs and a strong grip on a local “B&B” that caters more to hourly visitors than overnighters, if you know what I mean.

Memorable Dialogue: “Just so you know, it could get a little grody,” earnest cop Justin Brennan says, warning Priscilla about what the authorities might be pulling out of the drink.

Sex and Skin: None, just the sounds through the walls of the cathouse.

Our Take: OK, so Blow the Man Down isn’t wholly original, but it is confidently directed, well-cast and written with an ear for sly comedy and suggestion. It’s tense and enjoyable, and Cole and Krudy excel at capturing the atmosphere of the fictional burg of Easter Cove, the scratchy wool socks and generally chilly dampness of the place, the dankness of the dive bar and the ricketiness of the docks where boats with names like No Boundries (sic, lol) are parked and the lobster pots are stacked tall. You can smell the salt and brine and fish as Mr. Officer Marge Gunderson sniffs out fishy things in the darker crannies of Easter Cove.

The ending isn’t exactly satisfying, more vague sketch than sinister subtlety. But the filmmakers compellingly churn the murk among the clandestine working-class female elders who rule the Cove and shelter its secrets under their downy coats. Maybe Priscilla and Mary Beth and Enid’s adoptee Alexis (the excellent Gayle Rankin, of Her Smell fame) are their heirs. You’ll wish Squibb, O’Toole and Hugot had a tiny bit more to do, but they make the most of their moments. Someone give them a spinoff TV series of their own.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Blow the Man Down is a sturdy, sometimes exceptional feature debut for Cole and Krudy. We should look forward to what they do next.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.

Stream Blow the Man Down on Amazon Prime