Texas Killing Fields

The story is loosely based on real events--bodies of dead girls and young women have been turning up in a boggy area of Texas City, known as the "killing fields," for nearly three decades. The latest killings are being investigated by three police detectives, Brian Heigh (Jefferey Dean Morgan) and his partner Mike Souder (Sam Worthington), and Mike's ex wife from another jurisdiction, Pam Stall (Jessica Chastain). Due to where bodies are being found, both Heigh/Souder and Stall call on each other to help although it is against regulations to work in each other's jurisdiction. But the three seem very passionate about solving these crimes, understanding the urgency of getting this solved.


Among the mix of characters is a little girl lost, the young teen Anne (Chloe Grace Moretz). Although Heigh knows she is a petty criminal, he is a sort of father figure to her, trying to keep her out of trouble as well as preventing her from becoming what he fears may be the killer's next victim. Anne's home life is degraded by her older brother (James Hebert) and drunk mother (Sheryl Lee) and the various men that visit their home. These men and others, including a pimp of homeless girls and a child predator, are circumstantial suspects that Heigh and company try to connect to the crimes. He and Souder play good cop/bad cop with the suspects (whether it is playacting or real personalities of the characters I am not sure), do some forensic investigating, bend and even break a few rules and laws in their eagerness to find the killer.

Compunding the job Heigh is trying to do is that he is a New Yorker amongst the fairly closed minded Texans, a fact of which he is reminded of several times, even from his partner Souder. He also feels somewhat guilty for not having stopped these crimes sooner, thus this plays into his protective behavior towards Anne.

Although this film is at times clichéd and illogical, I found it entertaining and liked its gritty beauty. The movie has a look and feel of an independent film although its plot is more mainstream. The relational connections of the four main characters of Heigh, Souder, Pam and Anne are enough to give us as an audience to relate to them and their escalating urgency to find the killer. The actors portraying them did a sound job in their roles, but I would have liked these characters to be more fleshed out, as much could be explored in the dynamics of their relationships.

The baddies pretty much played to type, especially characters like Anne's mother and the child predator, although there are a couple unanswered questions about them here and there, such as if the killer who is caught is the same killer who has been committing these crimes for several decades, or if the killing fields has just become a dumping ground for the unwanted. Supporting actors include Stephen Graham, Jason Clarke, and Jon Eyez.