Armstrong: Dark Secrets

Tray Williams’ Armstrong: Dark Secrets is, in many ways, a crime epic. It’s filled to the brim with overlapping dramas, complex interpersonal dynamics and moral grey areas. The film begins with a high-stakes situation wherein two men – having each been shot – are in critical conditions respectively. This is a phenomenal way to begin your movie from a storytelling standpoint, and maybe most effective is that the gunfight itself has taken place offscreen. The conceit is clear. The suspense is tangible and well-crafted due to its focus on the characters involved and their authentic emotions. These are characteristics of the film’s first half which are unfortunately neglected in the latter half. Williams’ screenplay is a nuanced one with many moving parts; but it’s a tough ask to balance every storyline with grace. Nevertheless, this is a very impactful movie which demonstrates a respectful level of dramatic scale and structural ambition.

Within the first act, we most prominently follow two women connected with those almost killed in the shooting. Their interactions in the hospital – their unknown connections to one another and the strange sense of fate that’s brought them to a point of shared desperation – is what makes much of the writing feel incredibly empathetic. The movie it at its very best when it’s primarily about the fallout of gang violence, and just how many people an incident such as this impacts. Yet, as the narrative progresses, deaths and conflicts take place at a far more frequent, and eventually flippant, rate – unfortunately minimising what felt like a socially probing work, transitioning to more hollow Hollywood thrills. It remains well-crafted since this is a consistently well-directed piece, but it sadly loses its emotional steam and thematic resonance.

To briefly touch on the technical craft, there’s some great work on display. Visually, this is a sharp and nicely balanced work. There’s an incredible use of steadycam so to create a sense of sustained unrest and disorientation. The least effective aspect of the cinematography is unfortunately the lighting – there's something about the image which is mildly lacking in depth. But it’s still all competent and watchable. When it comes to the audio, there’s some discrepancy. The on-location sound recording itself is of an expert, professional standard; however, the sound design is inconsistent. I’m referring specifically to varying background noise between takes which is distracting. This could have been fixed with what’s called room-tone, simply to soften out those jarring dips and background interference.

To surmise, this is a movie which feels authentic, and there’s no better compliment than that. There are certainly issues with both story and craft, certainly, but this shouldn’t overshadow what is ostensibly a convincing, arresting depiction of contemporary conflict and chaos. Tonally, there is an increasing disparity which maybe could have been avoided with a slightly shorter runtime – or an edit that removes some of the more erratic sequences. Either way, the cinematic intent is always there. Featuring an impressive ensemble, if you’re after a gritty, unrelenting watch, then this could be the film for you.