Genre: Thriller
Director: David Mackenzie
Writers: Jimmy Ellis & John Malone
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Robert Pattinson, Patrick Wilson, Walton Goggins, Antony Starr, Joe Cole, Abbie Cornish, Rashida Jones, Linda Hunt
Plot: Floyd Self (Matthew McConaughey) sits with his head in his hands in a courtroom. Across the room from him, Buncombe County prosecutor Daniel Lawson (Robert Pattinson), delivers a closing statement, saying that if it was up to him he would sentence Self to death, but the decision is not up to him. He looks toward the jury box and says that it’s up to them instead. Self’s defense attorney, Ruth Payne (Rashida Jones), objects to Lawson’s monologue. The judge tells them both to have a seat. The jury finds Self guilty of one count of murder, and the judge sentences him to life in prison to the disappointment of both Self and Lawson. Self continues to profess his innocence as the bailiff leads him out of the room. Lawson, on the other hand, expresses his annoyance that Self didn’t get the chair. As he is being escorted through the doorway, Self exchanges eye contact with Lawson. Ruth turns to Self’s distraught wife, Dorothy (Abbie Cornish), and assures her that she will continue to fight on Floyd’s behalf throughout the appeals process.
Two and a half years later, Floyd Self sits in his prison cell in the rundown and dilapidated old Craggy Correctional Center. He looks skinnier and more pale than he did before. Elsewhere in the prison, Warden Moses Beekman (Walton Goggins) is approached by Lawrence Childs (Joe Cole), an officer for the county sheriff’s department who is stationed at the prison. Childs informs Beekman that a badly decomposed dead body has been found up in the Blue Ridge Mountains and he believes it may be connected to the murder committed by Floyd Self a few years back. Beekman tells Childs to contact the district attorney and him in his office.
Self is retrieved from his cell and escorted to Warden Beekman’s office. Along the way, he notices Daniel Lawson staring him down. Once Self is seated and cuffed in the office, Beekman, Childs and Lawson all enter. Beekman cuts straight to the chase and demands Self tell him how many more bodies there are out there. Lawson is taken aback by the statement and asks what exactly is going on. Beekman looks over to Childs, who tells Lawson that a body with wounds matching Self’s previous victim was found, badly decomposed. Lawson angrily demands why this is the first he’s hearing of this, in front of Self no less. Lawson argues with Beekman and Childs about them keeping information from him. As they argue, Self calmly says that he killed the woman and many others. Lawson, Beekman and Childs all become silent in an instance. Lawson asks Self to repeat what he said, and Self says that there are more bodies than they have bags for. Lawson asks Beekman and Childs for a moment alone with Self. The begrudgingly leave the office. Lawson digs through his briefcase and pulls out a map of the region. He attempts to broker a deal with Self: if Self will mark the locations on the map, Lawson will get Self a transfer to a nicer prison. Self insists that he can only locate the bodies in person as the landmarks he used to get around won’t be found on a simple map. Lawson exits the office, leaving Self alone. In the hallway, Lawson tells Beekman that he wants to take Self out to the mountains so he can lead him to the location of the other victims. Beekman says it isn’t a very good idea to take a convicted killer into the mountains, but Lawson says that the pros outweigh the cons and suggests that Beekman and Childs work as the prisoner escort so that they can keep it quiet until they find what they’re looking for.
Childs drives a prison van along the windy, foggy mountain roads of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina. Lawson and Beekman sit behind him, with Self chained up in the back of the van. Once they reach a high, steep road, Self finally speaks up and tells them that they are close and should pull over. As they pull over, they let Self out of the van. The four men walk further up the mountainside and deeper into the dense morning fog. Self points to a carving on a tree, telling them that is one of his landmarks. As the men look at the carving, Self makes a run for it, escaping into the fog. Beekman tells Childs to shoot him, but Lawson says they can’t kill Self if they want to find the bodies and insists Childs merely catch up to him and re-apprehend him. Childs, Lawson and Beekman all chase Self until he reaches a cliffside waterfall. Childs orders Self to stop and surrender as he has nowhere left to run. Self smiles at Childs, then he jumps off the waterfall, disappearing into the fog, down toward the water hundreds of feet below. Lawson, Childs and Beekman hike down to the bottom of the waterfall, but are unable to find any sign of Self. Lawson comments that if Self is still alive, they’re going to need a Marshal to help track him down.
US Marshall Eugene Baxter (Patrick Wilson) arrives at Lawson’s office and immediately chastises Lawson for having such a poor plan and letting Self play him the way he did. Even though he is critical of Lawson’s attempt to grab headlines to further his career, he agrees to track down Self, but only on account that they do things his way from now on. Lawson asks if they’re going to call in some hounds to sniff Self out in the woods. Baxter says that they’re not going to look for Self in the forest, they’re going to figure out what Self wants to go and find him there. Lawson is confused by the notion, so Baxter explains that nobody escapes custody without a plan of where they’ll go.
Deep in the woods of the Blue Mountain Range, Floyd Self manages to break his chains with a large rock. He sees the sun is getting ready to set. Self finds a small cave and makes a small fire. Self huddles around the fire to get through the night. As soon as dawn breaks, Self is on his feet, hiking toward civilization.
Lawson and Baxter pay Self’s wife, Dorothy, a visit. She is adamant that she hasn’t seen Floyd and has no idea where he is currently. Lawson gives her his business card and pleads with her to give him a call if she happens upon her husband. Dorothy tears the card up and throws it in Lawson’s face. She insists that her husband didn’t kill anyone, then orders the men off of her property. Self watches the encounter from a park across the street, smiling at his wife’s actions.
Back in the car, Baxter asks Lawson why he thinks Self suddenly made a plan to escape the prison. Lawson explains that, for the past two and a half years, Self had maintained his innocence in the one murder he was tried and convicted of, but all of a sudden he made claims about there being many more victims. Baxter says it’s pretty obvious to him that Self lied to make an escape. Baxter goes on to say that someone who escapes like Self is going to do one of two things. He’s either going to try to make a run for it, or he is going to try to clear his name. Baxter suggests that Lawson pull all the case files on Self for all the information on Self and his case they can get.
At the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, sketch artist Curt Hansen (Antony Starr) overhears chatter in the office between Beekman, Baxter and Lawson about the case. They are trying to keep their volume low, but Hansen overhears something the piques his interest, then seems to annoy him. As Baxter exits the office, Hansen scurries away to avoid his eavesdropping being detected.
Self sneaks into his wife’s house, knowing she kept newspaper clippings from the trial. He reads through them until he finds the name of the eye witness that supposedly saw him abduct the victim, an older woman named Mrs. Mooney. Dorothy wakes up and cries tears of joy upon seeing Floyd again without bars between them. Dorothy makes him some food and helps him get the broken handcuffs off of his wrists. She suggests they just go up to Canada or someplace the cops would never find them. Self says that North Carolina is the only home he knows, so he needs to clear his name and find the real killer. He doesn’t want to be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life. Dorothy begrudgingly accepts her husband’s plan and finds a Mrs. Moody in the phonebook and gives him the address. With a kiss, Self gets on his way.
Self arrives at the Moody residence and can see that Mrs. Moody (Linda Hunt) is still awake. He knocks on the door, and Moody slowly makes her way to the door to answer. When she opens the door, Self can see that not only does Moody not recognize him, but she also appears to be practically blind. He asks her about the murder she witnessed. Moody laughs about it, saying that she never really saw anything, she just happened upon the location. She was fed a description of the suspect. Self asks her who told her what to say. Mrs. Moody thinks about it for a moment, trying to remember. She then says it was the guy drawing the picture, he told her what the guy looked like. Self gives Mrs. Moody a hug and thanks her profusely before leaving.
Later in the the evening, Mrs. Moody pours herself some tea as she is getting ready for bed when she hears another knock at her door. She opens the door, but no one is standing there. Curt Hansen then appears behind her and says hello to her. Mrs. Moody says that he recognizes his voice. Hansen grabs Moody by the hair and slashes her throat with a hunting knife.
A neighbor finds Mrs. Moody’s body in the morning and calls the police. Baxter and Lawson find out about the murder and head to the crime scene. Lawson is eager to pin the murder on Self, stating that must have gone to kill the witness of his crime the night before. Baxter shakes his head at this saying he doesn’t buy it. Since Self always maintained his innocence, it would not benefit his case to kill someone involved in the case especially since he was already convicted. On top of that, killing Mrs. Moody would not help Self make a run for it or clear his name. Lawson is annoyed that the logic doesn’t support his suspicions of Self and begrudgingly agrees with Baxter’s assessment of Moody’s death.
Self sneaks inside of a house, startling his former defense attorney Ruth Payne. He assures her he doesn’t want to hurt her. She says she believes him, but can’t help him. She says that she has been trying to help him for over two years, and while she hasn’t succeeded, she did always believe in his innocence. Self asks her for one thing: the name and address of the police artist who drew his sketch. Payne asks why, and Self says that he thinks the sketch artist is involved in the murders and could potentially be the one who framed him. Payne searches through her notes and finds the man’s name, Curt Hansen, and address. Self thanks Payne, and she tells him not to do anything foolish.
Lawson is informed by Childs that an unidentifiable fingerprint has been found at the Moody crime scene. Lawson asks why that should concern him. Childs says that it doesn’t match Self, but it does match another unidentified print found at the crime scene of Self’s first victim. Lawson isn’t interested in having Self’s prior convictions overturned, or him being wrong, so he demands that Childs discount the findings. Lawson asks Childs to keep this information just between them until he has more information. Childs reluctantly agrees after Lawson hints that it will help Childs’ career to go along with him.
Self is waiting behind Hansen’s house, when Hansen arrives covered in blood - confirming for Self that Hansen is a murderer. Hansen smiles at Self before running away. Self chases after him for a long while, but Hansen gets away when Self is hit by a car backing out of a driveway.
Hansen, out of breath, stops running. He walks toward a house - the residence of Dorothy Self. Hansen knocks on the door. As soon as Dorothy answers, Hansen pounces on her and knocks her unconscious. He carries her outside and puts her into the trunk of her own car.
Lawson and Baxter arrive at Dorothy’s house to follow up with her and find the front door open, but Dorothy is nowhere to be found. Baxter recognizes signs of a struggle. Lawson sits down with his head in his hands. It has finally dawned on him that he may have convicted an innocent man of murder.
Baxter and Lawson are going over evidence at the sheriff’s office when Floyd Self walks into the station with his hands up. Childs comes out of an office and immediately aims his gun at Self, who calmly announces that he knows who the real killer was. Lawson notices the commotion and apologizes to Self, saying that he has doubts about the case. Lawson asks Childs to lower his weapon. Self is surprised that Lawson has changed his tune after all this time, but Lawson says that Dorothy may have been kidnapped by the real killer. Self then says that Curt Hansen is the real killer. Childs is caught off guard as he recognizes the name as the department’s sketch artist. Lawson and Baxter question Self about what he knows. Childs interrupts, saying that he knows Hansen has a cabin up in the mountains. Lawson tells Self to stay at the station while the proper authorities go out to find Hansen and Dorothy. Self says he’s coming along whether they like it or not - besides, nobody knows those mountains like he does. Baxter approves the idea, forcing Lawson to begrudgingly accept that he has to work with the man he tried to put on death row.
Hansen drags Dorothy’s unconscious body into his cabin and ties her to a chair. He slaps her around until he wakes up. She struggles to try to get free, which elicits laughter from Hansen. Dorothy spits at Hansen, who says that he originally planned on simply killing her, but after getting a good look at her he now thinks she may be more fun alive than dead.
Self, Baxter and Lawson ride on horseback up the mountains as no roads have been built in the area they’re searching. The tension between Self and Lawson is apparent. Baxter tries to make a bit of small talk to lighten the mood, but Self and Lawson don’t bite. Self eventually asks Lawson why he was so adamant that he was the killer based on some pretty flimsy evidence, like the eyewitness report of a mostly blind woman. Lawson tenses up and doesn’t answer the question. Self rides ahead of the others.
Finally the trio see a plume of smoke off in the horizon. Self tells Baxter and Lawson that there are not very many cabins this deep into the mountains. Baxter says they need to approach with caution. They tie up the horses and continue on foot to avoid detection. As they slowly walk toward the cabin, they hear Dorothy scream. Self begins sprinting toward the cabin. Baxter and Lawson follow. Self bursts through the cabin door where Hansen is about to rape Dorothy. Hansen quickly reaches for a pistol, shooting Self in the shoulder. The gunshot doesn’t slow down Self though, who continues charging at Hansen, who fires again, hitting Self in the arm. Self tackles Hansen to the ground and begins choking him. Hansen grabs a piece of firewood and hits Self in the head with it. Hansen then runs out of the house, but is quickly gunned down by Baxter and his shotgun. Self, despite his gunshot wounds, unties Dorothy and holds her. Lawson walks into the cabin and sees Floyd and Dorothy embracing. Lawson offers his hand out to Self in an attempt to apologize for being wrong all along. Self hesitates, but then shakes Lawson’s hand, accepting his apology. Floyd and Dorothy walk away from the cabin with their arms around each other.
Lawson arranges for Floyd Self’s conviction to be overturned and fully expunged from his record. He publicly apologizes to Self during a press conference and announces that he is stepping down as District Attorney of Buncombe County, planning on running for Mayor of Asheville, North Carolina, instead.
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