Stillwater

For roughly 90 minutes, Tom McCarthy’s Stillwater masquerades as an intelligent drama with suspenseful undertones.

Loosely inspired by the Amanda Knox saga, the film commendably drops viewers into the sticky life of Bill (Matt Damon), an Oklahoma oil rigger who flies to Marseilles on a regular basis to visit his incarcerated daughter, Allison (Abigail Breslin).

Thanks to clues that naturally arise as Bill goes about his days, the reason why Allison is in French jail gradually comes to light as well as her chances of being released for a crime that she insists she’s innocent of.

When new information arises that could send her home, but is too rooted in hearsay to attract legal representation, Bill turns amateur sleuth with interpreter help from theater actress Virginie (Camille Cottin, Allied), resulting in a handful of sharp, suspenseful sequences.

Committed to proving Allison’s innocence, Bill extends his stay in Marseilles and moves in with Virginie and her daughter Maya (Lilou Siauvaud). The odd couple roommate situation raises unspoken “second chance” themes with these new friends while Bill also seeks to make things right with the child for whom he wasn’t exactly Father of the Year, prompting Damon’s scowly performance to add new, appealing emotional layers.

It’s the kind of thoughtful storytelling and competent, no-frills direction we’ve come to expect from the writer/director of Spotlight and Win Win, but once the plot kicks in, Bill’s actions become oddly telegraphed, making it frustratingly obvious what he’ll do and how it will affect him and those he loves.

Eleventh hour revelations are likewise poorly handled and somewhat inconsistent with characterizations up to that point. The whole thing reeks of studio interference, or at least a “too many cooks” situation, seeing as the four screenwriter team is a tad larger than McCarthy’s usual solo or duo approach.

These missteps aren’t enough to completely sink Stillwater, but they significantly cheapen the experience and send viewers home wondering how a film that began so smartly could turn so dumb.

Grade: B-minus. Rated R. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Biltmore Grande, and Carolina Cinemark

(Photo: Jessica Forde/Focus Features)