The 2010s Dark Unrated Paranoid Crime Thriller Deserves Fan Cult Status
The thriller film The Standoff at Sparrow Creek deserves cult status as it holds a 78 percent critics rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes alongside a 66 percent audience score almost six years after its premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Written and directed by Henry Dunham, it stars James Badge Dale, Brian Geraghty, Patrick Fischler, and Happy Anderson.
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek begins when ex-police officer Gannon (James Badge Dale) hears distant automatic gunshots and explosions while enjoying a quiet meal.
Using a police radio, Gannon discovers that a gunman opened fire at a police funeral and fled the scene on foot. Gannon heads to a warehouse to meet his local militia group.
During the gathering, the group realizes that one of their rifles is missing from the armory, along with body armor and grenades. The discovery confirms someone in Gannon’s group is the funeral gunman. The group decides to stay in the warehouse until they figure out which member was responsible for the shooting, setting the stage for The Standoff at Sparrow Creek.
A Mystery Unfolds
In The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, Since none of the militia members are willing to admit their involvement, Morris (Happy Anderson), a former member of the Aryan Brotherhood, and a mute young man named Keating (Robert Aramayo) become the prime suspects.
Meanwhile, Gannon chats to Noah (Brian Geraghty), revealing that he knows Noah is an undercover officer assigned to infiltrate the militia.
Tensions Are Rising
However, Gannon promises to keep him safe as Beckmann (Patrick Fischler) takes control of the radio equipment and uses a fish tracker to monitor movies close to the warehouse.
Tensions rise in The Standoff at Sparrow Creek as each member of the militia is questioned, with each man revealing their reasons for joining the group and the crimes they have committed as active members.
Critics Praised Standoff at Sparrow Creek
As The Standoff at Sparrow Creek reaches its conclusion, Gannon makes a decision that will have a lasting impact on the militia group.
The movie ends with several confessions (though it’s unclear which are true) and a tense standoff with police. Upon its release, critics praised the film for its suspenseful story and hailed writer-director Henry Dunham.
James Badge Dale Stars
Interestingly outside of The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, James Badge Dale and Robert Aramayo co-starred in the supernatural horror film The Empty Man. Dale plays James Lasombra, a former police officer who returns to active duty to investigate the mysterious disappearances of teenagers in a small Midwestern town.
Aramayo plays a member of a secret cult who is trying to summon a dangerous entity.
Streaming Standoff at Sparrow Creek
Based on the Cullen Bunn novel of the same name, the David Prior-directed Empty Man was released amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the setbacks resulting from the pandemic, the film earned $4 million at the global box office and is currently available to stream on various digital platforms.
Fans can check out the incredible on-screen chemistry between James Badge Dale and Robert Aramayo in The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, which is available to rent or stream via various video-on-demand platforms such as Apple TV+, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Video.
