Quite apart from the equally apparent lack of the Coens's extraordinary visual acuity, Cut Bank comes up short because it simply presumes that guilt and evil already live in town, just waiting for us to arrive and see the show.

Deficient in charisma, Hemsworth lacks both the grit and grin that his complicated role demands.

Like many of its brethren, the movie seems to love itself while hating its characters.

Malkovich impresses as the soft-spoken centre around which the escalating troubles revolve, while the heavyweight supporting cast features good work from Billy Bob Thornton... and Oliver Platt as a fast-talking postal executive from the big city.