The Iron Orchard

“THE IRON ORCHARD is the story of Jim McNeely (Lance Garrison), a young man thrust into the vibrant and brutal West Texas oilfields in 1939. In a state gushing with oil and filled with ambition, McNeely settles into a small-town community that is slowly overcoming the trauma of the Great Depression. The formidable path before him is riddled with obstacles – overbearing bosses who try to keep him down, powerful oilmen who are reluctant to invest in a fresh face, and women who see salvation in his charms – but he finds a glimmer of hope with his first loves: new wife Lee Montgomery (Ali Corbin) and drilling for oil. With everything falling into place to ascend to the top of the oil chain, McNeely stumbles upwards through his success and in turn jeopardizes his desperate longing to conquer this brave new world of influence and wealth. What will define his legacy in building the rich oil tradition of West Texas?”

The Iron Orchard, based on the book by the same name written by Tom Pendleton, follows the life of Jim McNeely, a young man determined to make a name for himself in the oil industry no matter what the personal cost. The character starts off to be very sympathetic, as it’s told in flashbacks that he’s set off to find his fortune after being denied marriage to the woman he loved, Mazie Wales (Hassie Harrison), by her parents due to his financial and social status. He’s not treated well at all, constantly beaten down and given impossible tasks in an attempt to break his spirits, but finally stands up for himself and sets his sights on something bigger than simply digging ditches for pipelines; he wants to dig for the oil itself.

Lane Garrison, who I actually quite enjoyed in his role in Prison Break as ‘Tweener’, does a decent job at bringing McNeely to life on the big screen. Although I haven’t read the novel, apparently Paul Newman was once attached to adapt it into film; a pretty sizable shadow looming over, but nonetheless Garrison captures the out of control spiral that McNeely faces over his lifetime. Ali Corbin gives a fantastic performance as Lee, a strong woman who goes against the grain of the other women portrayed in the film, leisurely socialites who only shop and drink all day. She provides a rock not only for McNeely but for the audience as everyone else succumbs to greed. The rest of the characters in the film, although they are played well by the actors, they just aren’t very well fleshed out. I had a hard time even telling who was who, which ones were from McNeely’s past, if any, and what their current role was in his life.

What the film has going for it though is absolutely breathtaking visuals. With such a small budget and doing a period piece in Texas in the 1930’s, I was pleasantly surprised with the visuals of the film. Both the direction and cinematography are top notch in this respect, making the film look as grandiose as the term ‘oil baron’ can conjure.

As beautiful as the film is visually, the story unfortunately lacks much substance that makes it stand out. The character of Jim McNeely is indeed a tragic one, as you follow him through the ups and downs in his life, but by the end of it you really don’t want to sympathize with him anymore, and doesn’t really get a comeuppance he’s due. By the end of it, you can’t really tell if his character has changed, and a character that doesn’t learn from the entire story of the film just isn’t worth our time. Story-wise, they focus heavily on McNeely, of course, but it just seems that everything around him is an afterthought and not explored as much as it should have been. I had no investment in anything this character was involved in, his relationships with anyone except Lee and Mazie, and that lack of information made it extremely difficult to follow what was going on, and the affect it had on those McNeely trampled on to get to the top.

The topic of oil drilling isn’t exactly the most exciting, but it can be done well as There Will Be Blood demonstrated, as long as the characters are engaging and it tells a good story. There are moments in The Iron Orchard that I really enjoyed, which surprised me after watching the trailer, but those moments were so few and far between that it couldn’t come together to provide a solid and consistent film. Lane Garrison definitely gives it his all in this, and with the beautiful visuals those familiar with the novel may enjoy seeing this brought to life on screen.

Video

The Iron Orchard is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.39:1. The transfer looks good, with no issues of note. I mentioned the stunning visuals in this, and the open Texas landscape looks phenomenal in this aspect ratio. The picture is clear and free of defects with a yellowish hue in many of the outdoor, blistering hot sequences.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The dialogue is very clear and concise, with no real action sequences to utilize the surrounds except perhaps some atmospheric effects and oil drilling sounds. The score I found to be quite interesting. There were times I really enjoyed it, giving us some perfect accompaniment music to the sequences, and then there are times it’s way overdone.

Special Features

Although not listed on the case, the disc includes:

• Audio Commentary by Director Ty Roberts and Actor Lane Garrison
• Theatrical Trailer

The commentary is fairly interesting at times, including pointing out Matthew McConaughey’s older brother who was rewarded with beer each time he did a take. Strangely, though, there is no sound from the film included on the commentary track, and when there is silence in the commentary all you get to hear is breathing from the participants.

The Iron Orchard was quite different than what I expected going in. Although there are some beautiful sequences and solid acting/directing, the story just doesn’t come together. Fans of the novel may find enjoyment seeing it brought to life on screen.