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I’ve been enjoying American Rust week after week as it came out. It’s not exactly a murder mystery because you learn who the killer is pretty early on. It’s more interesting in that it’s a group of character studies.
Jeff Daniels anchors it as the sheriff in a western PA town; the kind of place Deer Hunter made famous, or rather, infamous. Drugs are rampant and, naturally, someone is killed indirectly because of that.
Maura Tierney is a woman who works sewing dresses and she’s trying to organize a union her shop. Her son, Billy Poe, is arrested as the prime suspect in the murder. His character I found somewhat troublesome. He’s a lost soul who mistakes loyalty for smarts. I’m intrigued and disturbed by Tierney’s character. While she gains some sympathy she is also manipulative and you how much of her son’s problems come from her.
The English family is also featured with a handicapped aging father, whose wife committed suicide years ago. A daughter who escaped to law school, only to get drawn back. And the son who splits town right after the murder and has his own adventures on the road.
Overall it’s not as good as the terribly titled Mare of Easttown. The stories meander without a single thing holding it together other than the shared miseries of the characters.
