AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS

BY CHRISTOPHER HASKELL
AUGUST 27, 2013

Highlighted with three stellar performances, “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” takes a minimal storyline and creates an authentic and emotion-filled canvas for these young and bright actors to paint this heart-wrenching drama with their God-given talents. Casey Affleck has proved time and time again that he is an actor to be watched, delivering award-worthy performances around every corner, taking on the richest of characters and bringing his unique persona to each of them. He plays Bob Muldoon, a man who takes the blame for his wife when she shoots a police officer and goes to jail, while she gives birth to their child and lives on the fringe, wondering if he’ll come back to her.

Played by the stellar Rooney Mara, Ruth is a torn character. On the one hand, she has a love of her life in jail, who took the fall for her and who she now sees in her daughter’s eyes as she reads her to stories in bed or sings her to sleep. On the other hand, local police officer, Patrick Wheeler, played by the always talented Ben Foster, shows her kindness that she’s never experienced. When Bob escapes from jail, the question of how he’ll return for Ruth and whether she’ll go with him becomes the plot’s driving force. Every performance in David Lowery’s film is multi-layered and executed to a level of brilliance unbeknown to me by just seeing the trailer. “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” escapes the bonds of similar films while not having to adhere to any “based on a true story” moniker, creating a genuinely original story matching the caliber of classics like “Bonnie & Clyde” or “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.”