Echoes of War

An extremely slow-burning tale of simmering tension in post-Civil War Texas, Echoes of War spends so much time generating a grim and menacing mood that it very nearly forgets about the plot. James Badge Dale stars as Wade, a Confederate veteran returning to his late sister's family in Texas. His brother-in-law Seamus (Ethan Embry) is a hardworking, extremely pious farmer whose land is being poached by the McCluskey clan next door, which is headed by gruff, mean-spirited Randolph (William Forsythe). Seamus refuses to retaliate, but Wade, who can't put the violence of the war behind him, will not restrain himself, even though the situation is complicated by a secret romance between Seamus's daughter and one of McCluskey's sons. Tragedy obviously waits in the wings and—after eons of dithering—the film finally rouses itself for a finale with a high body count. While Echoes of War deserves credit for grappling with the long-term effects of combat and attendant strains put on the social fabric—obliquely commenting on the traumatic impact of warfare on today's soldiers using a 19th-century analogue—the film's serious purpose is undermined by a turgid pace and sense of pretentiousness. Not a necessary purchase. (F. Swietek)