A crime thriller about three siblings in Appalachia getting by as local opioid dealers, trying not to get caught in the spiral of violence that comes with the territory.
Deep in the backwoods of any southern state, the opioid epidemic threatens to boil over as it engulfs families of innocents. This setting provides the dramatic impetus for “Inherit the Viper,” a straight-to-video movie starring Josh Hartnett, Margarita Levieva, Chandler Riggs, and a cameo from Bruce Dern. “Inherit the Viper” digs into the repertoire of country noir to provide a terse thrill ride as a criminal family falls apart.
The Conley family deals opioids in backwoods America. Their good-for-nothing father left them long behind. Josie (Margarita Levieva), the boss of the trio, manages their overall drug-dealing operations. Kip, played by Hartnett, works at a sawmill as a cover while he deals the dangerous drugs. Chandler Riggs plays their impetuous little brother Boots. Kip and Josie introduce Boots to the dealing game with disastrous consequences and even as one struggles to get out, the other goes deeper.
This movie knows its style and uses it well. The moody tones and rock guitar chords settle it firmly in the subgenre of country noir. In the first ten minutes, Josh Hartnett plays a little ditty on a guitar by a campfire after Josie ignores a woman overdosed on opioids. The trees hem them in. They attend Friday night football. For all intents and purposes, they are fly-over state Americana, pushed to the brink. The simmering tension of these different siblings carries the movie as legal consequences for their actions seems to escape them. Only death and destruction directly result from their handiwork.
The titular three carry this movie well. Hartnett lends his good ol’ boy star power while Margarita Levieva goes toe to toe with Bruce Dern. Whoever cast Chandler Riggs did an amazing job as he really reflects well off of Josh Hartnett. Bruce Dern cameos as a grumpy old man (something I’m beginning to think isn’t an act.) All of them bear gravel in their voices.
It’s not a particularly fast burn, but it’s tense nonetheless. It bucks expectations a little bit in its finale. There’s a real sympathy for these characters resulting from their strong familial bond, but the film never excuses drug dealing. It does what all great crime dramas do: point out that crime doesn’t pay. This family pays for its misdeeds, despite its best intentions. I recommend renting this sometime and enjoying it. It never lingers on gore or violence, instead, focusing on the relationships and that’s what makes it so successful.
Available on Blu-ray™ (plus DVD & Digital) and DVD March 10th
