The search for a missing twin, who has become mired in a religious cult, leads former Sheriff Joe Haladin to make a life-changing discovery about himself in Joe Haladin: The Case Of The Missing Sister.
Sheriff Joe Haladin was created by writer/director Ralph Cinque back in 2019 and first appeared in the film, ‘My Stretch Of Texas Ground’, its sequel ‘His Stretch Of Texas Ground’ (both great titles for noir films) followed in 2021. The films were written by Cinque with the first directed by Erich Kemp and the second directed by Cinque himself. It’s fair to say that Joe Haladin is definitely Cinque’s baby. Haladin’s previous cases have involved terrorism and ex-convicts, but his third outing has an altogether more grounded feel to it; grounded in the sense that it takes place closer to home, is self-contained, and is a much more introverted story about family.
Opening with a court hearing of the Sheriff’s behaviour while in the force, we are once again introduced to the stoic and upstanding Joe Haladin. As the story progresses, Haladin opens up a local detective agency and gets involved in a case linking a local religious cult to the disappearance of a twin sister. Will our hero manage to follow the clues, solve the case, and find the girl?
The succinct Samuel French plays Joe with a laconic southern drawl that is reminiscent of Sam Elliott, and brings great presence to the role; his Haladin seems a little spaced out as if he is slowly studying everything, and there are mannerisms, double takes, and nods to himself that show him working to bring humanity and flaws to an almost too perfect character. I loved the colourful performance of Bethany Becker as Haladin’s unwaveringly loyal secretary Lacey who doesn’t just make tea. I was impressed by Reagan Kelly as Colette Townsend and Clinton Springer’s smug Reverend Case Jones. I also enjoyed Mina Hegaard hamming it up as the rich socialite and unlikely named Eloise Slaughter who brings the case of the missing sister to the attention of Joe in the first place.
This time, director Jody Stelzig takes the reins with cinematography by Lance Seymour. This is not a film where we bounce from one surprise to another, it’s a slow burner that sees the progress of the story dependent on the feelings of its characters and their motives. These take the form of talking heads scenes that see Haladin getting answers from conversations rather than actions. It might not be particularly thrilling or exciting, but it does show us actual detective work, and the way each scene plays out completely fits the low-key setting and the actors who are performing it. Both director Stelzig and Cinematographer Seymour use the lack of grading to give the film extra light, and a more optimistic quality, as if Haladin’s world refuses to reveal the darkness of his work. Most of the shots are wide shots, two shots, or medium close-ups and that gives us the same sense of confusion and realisation as the characters.
Everyone connected with this movie seems to have gone through the private eye genre and come out on the other side. Ralph Cinque, in his screenplay, has taken care to show how good and evil are never as simple as black or white, and that even the motives of the worst villains may have actually started from the misplaced goodness of their hearts. A successful neo-noir that tells a human story, Joe Haladin: The Case Of The Missing Sister is certainly worth your time.
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