Vick's picks movie reviews: "The Lowdown," "Death By Lightning"
- by Kel Pickens
Movie Critic
The Lowdown: I grew up in north Tulsa and attended Will Rogers High School. I was there at the same time S.E. Hinton was there observing us when he wrote about The Outsiders. Later, Francis Ford Coppola used that setting very effectively for his film version, which has impacted multiple generations.
I get the impression this series has also figured out how to film Tulsa effectively as a sumptuous setting for all the idiosyncratic characters and cultures on display. At the same time, it features a pall that obscures many dark secrets, injustices, land grabs, and religious white supremacist racists.
It stars a crusading investigative journalist and bookstore owner, Lee Raybon, played with stunning force by Ethan Hawke. Hawke’s role is based on the actual person of Lee Roy Chapman, who uncovered that a wealthy founding father named W. Tate Brady of Tulsa was also a member of the KKK and suspiciously involved in the 1921 Race Massacre there.
Heavy stuff full of mayhem, but the resulting script is a comedy/mystery/noir recipe that is deliciously tasty. The inspired casting is a huge part of the enjoyment, with the delightful surprise of Tulsa’s own Jeanne Tripplehorn as a recurring character who bounces off Hawke’s “truthistorian” persona perfectly.
Another prominent loc actor in a privileged Okie role is delightfully filled by Tim Blake Nelson, who plays the sensitive brother of gubernatorial candidate Donald Washberg (Kyle MacLachlan), and Keith David as his P.I. is perfect. The brief appearances by Graham Greene, Peter Dinklage, Killer Mike, and many others guarantee flat-out entertainment alongside excellent local musicians.
Creator, writer, and director Sterlin Harjo has cracked the nut of how to follow up with an even bigger success after Reservation Dogs, since this FX original, now on streamers, is bound to rack up even more awards.
Death By Lightning: This four-part Netflix series, based on actual events, is now almost a prerequisite for a more complete picture of a lightly skipped-over section of American history. Sure, we mostly taught that someone with an odd name assassinated President James Garfield. You may have even known that he was only president for a short time and that he did not die from his wound right away. But most likely that was about it.
However, now that creator Mike Makowsky has brought Candice Millard’s book (Destiny of the Republic) to our TV screens, with a perfect cast to fill out this period of events around 1880 in U.S. politics, we have the opportunity to learn so much more. The always intense actor Michael Shannon is continuously intriguing to watch in the role of Garfield, as he gives a rousing nomination speech for a candidate that triggers his own rise at the national convention to head the Republican ticket as a reluctant (or was he really?) candidate.
But this was a different Republican Party (or was it?), rife with corruption and questionable machinations with spoils system levers pulled by hacks and senators. Could an idealistic straight-shooting do-gooder like Garfield maneuver in such a twisting minefield? Of course, his life is juxtaposed with that of a troubled ne’er-do-well assassin, Charles Guiteau, played in a highly memorable fashion by Matthew Macfadyen. Even though he admires Garfield, every time he inserts himself into the lives of the political players supporting and opposing Garfield, they tend to easily forget who he is, regardless of his popping up repeatedly in their paths, which only fans his form of insanity and makes him more memorable.
The supporting cast is simply perfect, from Nick Offerman as a blustering to sensitive Chester A. Arthur, a conniving machine politician role handled expertly by Shea Whigham, First Lady Lucretia Garfield with scads of bravery handled well by Betty Gilpin, and capped by Bradley Whitford as Senator James Blaine to give it The West Wing feel and warmth. I also think nominations for awards are merited here.
The Gayly online. 12/16/2025 @ 10:20 a.m. CST.