Our take
Set in Tulsa, The Lowdown follows Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke), a bookstore owner by day and investigative journalist by night. When he uncovers secrets harbored by the powers-that-be in Oklahoma, he finds himself in tricky situations, which he navigates with an amusing mix of awkwardness and finesse. The premise is nothing new, but Hawke delivers a hell of a performance: he’s electric, never stagnant, and dials up the general tone without ever being too much. The script is sharp and funny enough, but it’s Hawke and his peers’ performances that solidify The Lowdown as a must-watch, especially for fans of noir.
Streaming arrival
What it won
Spirit Awards
1 nom
The story
Follow the gritty exploits of citizen journalist Lee Raybon, a self-proclaimed Tulsa "truthstorian" whose obsession with the truth is always getting him into trouble.
Elsewhere
"Harjo, with his eye for human eccentricities, lends a pulse to stock types... Gradually, as on “Reservation Dogs,” a crew of kooks, knuckleheads, ne’er-do-wells, and melancholics takes shape."
— Inkoo Kang
"The Lowdown deepens and extends Harjo’s sensibilities. If Reservation Dogs found beauty in the embrace of community in the margins, The Lowdown draws its spark from what happens when someone in the margins starts to poke back at entrenched power."
— Nicholas Quah
The details
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
