By Dennis O’Neil
Director: Niki Caro
Starring: Charlize Theron, Elle Peterson, Thomas Curtis
Rated: R
Runtime: 126 minutes
Release date: In stores
“North Country” tells the story of the first sexual harassment case in U.S. history, which took place in the mining country of Northern Minnesota in 1989. Despite the potential power of this material, Director Niki Caro (“Whale Rider”) fails to deliver it. Instead, Caro resorts to cheesy Hollywood grandstanding, which strains credibility and effectively wrecks the film’s final scenes.
Despite strong lead performances from Charlize Theron (“Monster”) and Frances McDormand (“Almost Famous”) as two of the oppressed female miners, actors like Sean Bean (“Troy”) and Sissy Spacek (“Coal Miner’s Daughter”) are severely underused, preventing the cast from ever truly meshing. The DVD special features also fail to impress or inform, containing only a brief documentary and a few additional scenes. In the end, “North Country” registers as a missed opportunity for powerful drama.
