Gimmicky films can be a drag. All flash and no substance, they grab your attention for a few minutes, but then your mind begins to wander once you realize that the filmmaker has no interest in actual human beings (the audience included). Against all odds, first-time feature director Dennis Hauck has made a film that’s as gimmicky as hell—shot on 35 mm in five unbroken 20-minute takes—and yet it becomes more involving as it goes along).
He starts by introducing Dorothy (Crystal Reed), a Los Angeles stripper who has “seen something she shouldn’t have,” presumably a murder, so she calls her private-eye pal, Mel Sampson (John Hawkes in a custom-built role), for assistance, but he arrives too late…