Film

The Quarry

Name: The Quarry
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Released: 2020
Cast: Shea Whigham, Michael Shannon, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Bobby Soto, Bruno Bichir

Con-artist caper

A drifter assumes a dead minister's identity in a Texas border town, preaching charisma masking deeper damage. The film is a tense, atmospheric thriller about deception and self-destruction, anchored by committed performances from Shea Whigham and Michael Shannon. It's for viewers who want character study wrapped in noir textures, where moral rot spreads quietly.

TMDb rating

2.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy slow-burn crime stories where the tension lives in silences, stares and moral unease rather than in chases, and you like a thriller that trusts you to read a face.

Skip it if you want a brisk plot that keeps moving; this one lingers on its hushed, dusty Texas town and its characters' guarded moods, so it can feel sluggish at ninety-eight minutes.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a quiet, deliberate film that builds dread gradually, asking you to watch closely and hold your questions until the atmosphere has done its work.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Hell or High Water2016

Contemporary Western about men trapped by circumstance and region, with the same slow-burn moral decay and taut dialogue. Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine deliver career-best work in a story that feels lived-in and inevitable.

But Takes its time plotting, so if you want car chases and shootouts you'll find them sparse. The ending is bleak.

Wind River2017

Crime thriller set on a reservation, exploring how institutions fail desperate people. Gil Birmingham and Jeremy Renner anchor a script that treats its setting and characters with real dignity and anger.

But Deals with sexual violence and murder of Indigenous women—heavy subject matter handled seriously, not exploitatively, but demanding emotional openness.

Sicario2015

A woman in over her head enters a world of cartels and betrayal. Masterfully photographed, with Benicio Del Toro delivering a performance of pure menace beneath perfect stillness. Tension that doesn't release.

But Deeply cynical about institutions and justice. The protagonist's powerlessness may leave you angry rather than satisfied.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Quarry

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Apostle1997

Both center on a charismatic preacher using faith as disguise, exploring whether conversion is possible or whether the man beneath always remains.

Robert Duvall wrote, directed, and stars as a Pentecostal preacher who kills a man and flees to Louisiana to start a new ministry. A forgotten masterpiece about redemption as self-deception. Duvall's performance is nakedly vulnerable in ways he rarely allowed.

But Very long, deeply Christian in register, and Duvall's drawl and mannerisms take time to adjust to. Some find it slow; others find it profound.

A Simple Plan1998

Ordinary people stumble on crime and sink into it step by step. Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton show how greed corrupts good intentions. The writing is surgical about how good people rationalize bad choices.

But Dated in some visual ways. Pacing in the middle sags before it tightens. The inevitability of doom can feel manipulative if you're not in the mood.

Mystic River2003

Three men bound by childhood trauma confront violence in their Boston neighborhood. Eastwood directs with restraint; Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon create characters you believe know each other's souls.

But Very long and very dark. The final truth won't satisfy everyone—some find it ambiguous in frustrating ways.

The Drop2014

Tom Hardy as a bartender in a mob-run establishment, pulled into something he can't control. Quiet and precise, with genuine affection for its damaged characters. Hardy is vulnerable in a way that surprises.

But Deliberately slow and introspective. The plot is slight—if you need incident, this will feel slight.

Inherent Vice2014

Paul Thomas Anderson's sunken 1970s LA mystery with Joaquin Phoenix as a stoned detective spiraling through corruption and noir. Visually gorgeous and darkly funny, with a great ensemble cast including Josh Brolin and Katherine Waterston.

But Structurally messy and plot threads are hard to follow deliberately. Demands repeat viewings or comfort with confusion.

First Reformed2018

Ethan Hawke as a minister wrestling with faith and despair in a crumbling New York church. Paul Schrader writes and directs with theological seriousness. Austere, uncompromising, quietly devastating.

But Bleak to the point of punishing. Long stretches of internal monologue. The ending won't lighten your mood for days.

Burning2018

South Korean slow-burn about class resentment, desire, and violence between two men and a woman. Yong-ho Lee creates unbearable tension from conversation and glances. Asks you to hold multiple truths at once.

But Over two hours of mounting dread with an ending that offers no relief. Requires active engagement; passive viewing will feel tedious.

Nocturama2016

Both use border spaces and false identities to explore the gap between surfaces and the rot beneath. Both trust the audience to read character from gesture and silence rather than exposition.

French minimalist thriller following young terrorists through Paris on a single night. Bertrand Bonello strips away dialogue and plot machinery—pure image and sound design creating dread from architecture and silence. Hypnotic and disturbing.

But European arthouse approach means little dialogue, long takes, and an ending that won't resolve your tension. Requires patience and comfort with ambiguity.

The Last Temptation of Christ1988

Both examine men claiming spiritual authority while hiding corruption or doubt. Both ask whether faith can redeem the corrupted or merely mask them.

Scorsese's controversial theological experiment: Jesus as tormented, tempted, morally uncertain human. Willem Dafoe carries the spiritual confusion; the film earns its intensity. Demands engagement with faith as lived struggle rather than certainty.

But Deeply blasphemous to many Christian viewers. Deliberately provocative about sexuality and doubt. Three hours of earnest theological wrestling—not entertainment in the conventional sense.