I don't really want to do this. But I have to.

I'm going to give away some of the plot of CLAY PIGEONS. Which is a shame. I saw it cold, with no idea of what was in store and loved it. In fact, for full enjoyment of the film, I'd recommend not reading further, because the surprises start coming with the first scene.

The opening image is of beer bottles dangling from a tree, then shot to pieces one by one. Just another lazy day of beer and guns in Montana. Clay (Joaquim Phoenix) has just had his turn shooting, now he goes to set up more bottles, handing his gun to his best buddy Earl. Once Clay is downrange, Earl cocks the pistol and calls out, "I know you've been sleeping with my wife." Clay tries to deny it, then tries to calm him. Earl moans on, "She was a virgin when we was married!" Clay, still trying to soothe, calls back, "I dunno Earl. I heard she was kinda wild in high school."

But Earl doesn't shoot Clay. In fact, Earl has no plans for shooting him. Earl has set Clay up and he shoots himself to make it look like murder. Clay is left with his best friend's blood on his hands and a decision to make -- come clean or cover up.

If you're thinking BLOOD SIMPLE, SHALLOW GRAVE or FARGO, you're thinking right. CLAY PIGEONS features small-town intrigue, slow-moving sheriff departments, bodies that won't stay hidden and a great sense of humour. Clay is such an unassuming character, we can't help but laugh (and gasp) as he's boxed into situations that make him look like a killer. And Joaquim Phoenix nicely bears the weight of Clay's world on his shoulders.

Inevitably, competent law enforcement arrives in the form of Janeane Garofalo and her laconic partner (played by Phil Morris). The two make the best male-female FBI duo since Mulder and Scully. They are thorough, professional and can hardly believe the sheriff's deputy is really named Barney. Garofalo was the perfect pick to balance the seriousness and humour of the role. While searching a crime scene, she comes upon the victim's stash of pot. Empirical and deductive, she puts it in a bag marked "EVIDENCE." Later that night, we catch her in her hotel room, hair down, watching tube and smoking the evidence.

While Joaquim Phoenix has the lead role and Janeane Garofalo has a fun supporting character, there is one other player in this film who _really_ makes the film -- Vince Vaughn. He plays an outgoing, cowboy truck driver named Lester who befriends Clay in his dark hour. He is extremely funny, charming and frightening, often all at the same time. Vaughn was in SWINGERS and shared the screen with Joaquim Phoenix just last month in RETURN TO PARADISE. With CLAY PIGEONS, he proves himself a star on the rise. The guy just eats up the screen. If he does this well as Norman Bates in the upcoming remake of PSYCHO, we are going to be seeing a _lot_ more of Vince Vaughn.

CLAY PIGEONS looks and sounds great. The film was shot in Utah and the Rocky Mountains rise as impassive judges of the goings-on below. The soundtrack has some great country-western from the early 60s, such as Don Gibson's "Sea of Heartbreak," and a perfectly placed instance of Elvis' "It's Now Or Never." The songs add to the whole backwoods noir effect.

I will admit that CLAY PIGEONS' endgame gets a little muddy and Joaquim Phoenix's performance waxes monotonous. But it is a great story with great characters. And if there is no other reason to see this film, you just *have* to check out Vince Vaughn.

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