Plot
A salesman for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources.

Release Year: 2012

Rating: 5.8/10 (1,053 voted)

Critic's Score: 53/100

Director: Gus Van Sant

Stars: Matt Damon, Frances McDormand, John Krasinski

Storyline
Corporate salesman Steve Butler (Damon) arrives in a rural town with his sales partner, Sue Thomason (McDormand). With the town having been hit hard by the economic decline of recent years, the two outsiders see the local citizens as likely to accept their company's offer, for drilling rights to their properties, as much-needed relief. What seems like an easy job for the duo becomes complicated by the objection of a respected schoolteacher (Holbrook) with support from a grassroots campaign led by another man (Krasinski) who counters Steve both personally and professionally.

Writers: John Krasinski, Matt Damon

Cast:
Matt Damon - Steve Butler
Benjamin Sheeler - Attendant
Terry Kinney - David Churchill
Carla Bianco - Waitress
Joe Coyle - Michael Downey
Hal Holbrook - Frank Yates
Dorothy Silver - Arlene
Frances McDormand - Sue Thomason
Titus Welliver - Rob
Lexi Cowan - Drew's Girl
Tim Guinee - Drew Scott
Sara Lindsey - Claire Allen
Frank Conforti - Coach
Garrett Ashbaugh - Basketball Player
Jericho Morgan - Jericho

Taglines: What's your price?

Details

Official Website: Official Facebook | Official site |

Release Date: 19 April 2013

Filming Locations: Apollo High School, Apollo, Pennsylvania 15613, USA

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Originally, this movie was supposed to be Matt Damon's directorial debut. But due to short time to prepare for the movie and also some creative conflicts, Damon dropped out as the director (but remained as an actor) and Gus Van Sant came aboard to direct.

User Review

Gives a voice to work angst and captures beauty of country life with true colors.

Rating: 10/10

Promised Land, the new movie from director Gus Van Sant, takes a long hard look at people's decisions to sell land use rights away to energy companies for gas drilling. Small landowners and large farm owners each face a crisis when the gas man comes to town. The Pennsylvania landowners are not the only people to go through a crisis of conscience in the movie. The energy company employees also struggle with sorting out the truth and the lies behind their work. As one employee says, "it's just a job". Increasingly as the real news comes out day after day about chemical contamination after hydraulic fracturing – fracking – one person's job morphs into another person's tragedy.

I grew up in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains in New York, a rural area that is now at a the center of a raging debate over fracking land rights for the Marcellus Shale gas. Fracking was put on hold here in New York, due to concerns over health impact of chemicals used and chemical waste produced. The story in the movie, Promised Land, as written by star actors Matt Damon and John Krasinski, captures parts of country life from my childhood with true colors. Closeness to the earth, respectful of honesty in conversation, I remember this well. The dialog throughout is natural and believable.The movie is beautifully filmed to share the peace of nature.

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