Director Watch Podcast Ep. 68 – ‘One False Move’ (Carl Franklin, 1992)

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 68 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the first film in their Carl Franklin series, One False Move (1992).

Much like Terrence Malick, the subject of the last Director Watch series, director Carl Franklin came out of the AFI Conservatory ready to take the world on fire as a force behind the camera. In his first couple of films, he was taken under the wing of producer Roger Corman, who saw something in a young Franklin and gave him the necessary experience to then make something of his own. By the early 1990s, when the American indie film era was beginning, Franklin made one of the most vital crime thrillers of the decade with One False Move, a film centered around a small town sheriff waiting for three killers to enter his town, with a connection to who they are leading to a dangerous conclusion. With a script written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, Franklin was able to tap into the insecurities of being in a small town position as a police officer, the danger of being a fugitive on the run, and the racial dynamics (and insecurities) at the heart of the story. Ryan and Jay break down Franklin’s early work, their thoughts on the overall film, Bill Paxton and Cynda Williams’ performances, the film’s shocking ending, the tragic final shot of the film, Thornton’s career as a writer, and how influential a movie like this was for the decade.

You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.

This podcast runs 1h53m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Carl Franklin with a review of his film, Devil in a Blue Dress. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)