The Big Picture

LaRoy, Texas
is an underappreciated gem, blending comedy, crime, and thriller elements.
James Magaro delivers a stellar performance as a depressed man turned ruthless killer.
Steve Zahn shines as a hilarious, scene-stealing amateur detective in this quirky film.

Don’t mess with a hit man, you might find yourself in a pickle. The Grim Reaper comes in the form of a deranged contract killer in LaRoy, Texas. When he gets angry that another man took his next hit, he can’t let it go, because you’ve always got to see it through til the end. A fantastic comedy crime thriller released in April 2024, it’s a crime itself that it hasn’t been consumed by the masses in all its bloodiness and glory. Directed and written by Shane Atkinson, it’s one of the best dark comedy thrillers to come out in recent years, dealing with a small town littered with vigilantes, beauty queens, and murder.

A low-budget, independent thriller, LaRoy, Texas was destined to become an underappreciated gem for those venturing beyond the algorithm while trying to decide what to rent on a Friday night. For those who chose it over Dune 2 or Challengers, it’s a major reward, just like the stolen money everyone in the film is fighting over. With a stacked cast featuring John Magaro, Steve Zahn, Megan Stevenson, Matthew Del Negro, and Dylan Baker, the film is rich with funny and terrifying performances. If you’re bored and in need of a venture outside the box, do yourself a favor and wander into LaRoy, Texas for a bloody good time.

LaRoy, Texas When Ray discovers that his wife is cheating on him, he decides he’s going to kill himself. His plans suddenly change when a stranger mistakes him for a low-rent hitman.Release Date April 12, 2024 Director Shane Atkinson Runtime 112 Minutes

What Is ‘LaRoy, Texas’ About?
LaRoy, Texas begins with the sadistic contract killer, Harry, played by the always creepy Dylan Baker, picking up his current target off the side of the road at night, then killing him in cold blood in his car. He’s a professional, and the best at his craft. When he gets a call for his next hit in a town in the middle of nowhere Texas, LaRoy, he starts heading that way. Jump over to LaRoy, Texas, and a depressed salesman, Ray (Magaro), is contemplating suicide in his car one night after finding out his wife, Stacy-Lynn (Stevenson), is having an affair. He finds out courtesy of a newbie, amateur detective, Skip, played by the phenomenal Zahn. As Ray holds a gun in his hand under the glow of motel lights, the man who hired the hitman mistakes Ray for the guy, courtesy of the gun. He hands Ray cash, and lets him know he needs the kill done ASAP.

Ray goes through with the hit, and from there he starts a bloodbath across town as the hitman arrives to perform the job, and seeks retribution when he finds out the man is already dead. Once the dead man’s body is discovered by police, Skip discovers Ray is the killer, and the two of them work together to find the missing money of the murdered man, which is why Ray was tasked with the killing in the first place. As various players in town are connected to the murder and search for the hidden fortune, Ray and Skip become an unlikely pair of outlaws as the heat and criminals come breathing down their necks.

James Magaro Plays a Depressed Man Transforming into a Merciless Killer

James Magaro is predictably brilliant as Ray, a meek, depressed man who has only ever lived for his wife, and now must find something else to live for. Though he didn’t ask for it, his friend Skip, who’s quit his job, has decided to become a detective with no credentials, and snaps pictures of Ray’s wife heading into a motel for an affair. It’s what sets everything in motion, and gets the blood pumping in Ray’s veins again, which turns out to be bad for everyone. After Ray goes through with the hit, he finds he has a taste for violence, and this is where Magaro’s performance really takes off. While he can play nice guys, seen in last year’s acclaimed Past Lives, he also makes an excellent villain. Magaro was vicious and deranged as the surprise bad guy in Season 1 of The Umbrella Academy, and here again, he turns malicious.

With his dark sinister eyes and empty stares, Magaro transforms Ray into a force to be reckoned with. It’s devastating to watch his transformation, and is a testament to Magaro’s ability to play just about any kind of character. Unable to accept that his wife doesn’t love him anymore, she is the cause of his destruction, and Magaro is like a live wire threatening to go off at any moment, which will inevitably happen.

Steve Zahn Is a Hilarious, Scene-Stealing Amateur Detective
Image via Brainstorm Media

LaRoy, Texas is dark and gritty with shootouts and torture, and Steve Zahn is the sunshine that sprinkles over the town with some of the best scenes in the movie. It’s one of Zahn’s most underrated performances of late, after experiencing a new wave of fame thanks to his performance in Season 1 of The White Lotus. Skip is like a tragic, unrealized inspector Closeau, striving for greatness but stubbing his toe on the way out of every shut door, while the cops in town play pranks on him as he parades around in a black suit, cowboy hat, and bolo tie. But it turns out, he’s Ray’s ride or die, and is determined to help get him off scott-free, as long as he can play detective by finding the missing money. This is where Skip becomes the true star of the movie, and gets the best scenes as a man in the trenches of a hilarious, midlife crisis. Some men buy cars, Skip prints out misspelled detective cards and solves crimes no one is asking him to solve.

Lord help those who come in Skip’s way, for they might find their heads at the bottom of the toilet bowl. One of the first suspects Ray and Skip interview is a man who knew the deceased, played by an always reliable, always hilarious, Bob Clendendin. Playing a man named Ben, he refuses to give up any information, so Skip does what he has probably only seen in the movies. He takes Ben’s head and puts it in the toilet. The only problem is that the movies are make-believe, and in real life, if you do that, you’ll cease breathing. This then kick-starts a darkly funny scene of Ray repeatedly having to give Ben mouth-to-mouth before Skip goes all crazy again and shoves his head down the toilet. Zahn has a barely contained craziness that is addictive to watch, as his eyes widen like a cartoon character, licking his lip as he plots his next move.

If you Like ‘Fargo’, ‘LaRoy, Texas’ Shares a Similar Quirkiness and Violence
Image via Brainstorm media

The Coen Brother’s film, Fargo, is one of the best dark comedy crime thrillers out there, with its blunt violence, small-town characters, and sadistic crooks. LaRoy, Texas takes a page out of the Fargo rule book by creating their own wild town of misfits and killers. Part of what makes LaRoy, Texas work so well is its impeccable casting, including Dylan Baker as the bloodthirsty hitman, Harry. The only way the film could be a success is if audiences are truly terrified of him as he gets closer to finding Ray and Skip. His chilling blue eyes never waver as he tortures townfolk, and he has the same eerie calmness that Billy Bob Thornton had in the television adaptation of Fargo in Season 1.

There are too many fantastic cameos in LaRoy, Texas to count. One of the best is Brad Leland as Adam Ledoux, who plays a slimy car dealer involved with the murder. Leland’s best known role is as the beloved Buddy Garrity in Friday Night Lights, and the fact that he played a car dealer in that series as well is the perfect amount of self-indulgent nostalgia. Nothing is overdone, and the movie avoids falling into any predictable Hollywood movie trap. You never know how things are going to turn out. LaRoy, Texas, unexpectedly becomes a movie about friendship, and things get bloodier while Skip and Ray’s friendship only gets stronger. There’s a feel of Bonnie and Clyde or Thelma and Louise, as the two friends find themselves at odds with their world, but just want to be heroes, even just for a day.

LaRoy, Texas is available to rent on Amazon in the U.S.

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