Movie Review:'The Death of Dick Long' Surprisingly Human Dark Comedy

The Death of Dick Long was not what I was expecting it to be. Based off of the film’s trailer, I assumed The Death of Dick Long was going to be a dark comedy about hillbillies covering up their buddies death. That is part of the story, for sure, but what I didn’t expect was the level of humanity and drama in The Death of Dick Long. Instead of portraying well known redneck tropes, The Death of Dick Long gives these characters depth and dimension.

Ezekial (Michael Abbott Jr), is your average directionless, Alabama redneck. He’s a good hearted guy, devoted to his wife, Lydia (Virginia Newcomb), and their daughter, Cyntha. He has dreams of being in a band but he’s rather pathetic for the most part. The movie opens on Ezekial, his best friend Earl (Andre Hyland), and their bandmate Dick (Director Daniel Scheinert) having finished band practice and looking to party.

The trio heads off to an empty field with some beer, some fireworks and some guns. What could possibly go wrong? Well, what ends up going wrong is not anything you are going to predict. Here’s what I can tell you, Dick is hurt badly and not wanting to explain what happened to their buddy, Ezekial and Earl decide to dump Dick on the ground outside the local emergency room where he’s found by Dr Richer (Roy Wood Jr).

Dick succumbs to his injuries while his friends return home and hope to never have to explain what happened. Unfortunately, there is evidence everywhere from Zeke’s blood stained clothes to the backseat of his car where Dick bled heavily before dying. The cops are called to the hospital by Dr Richter who eventually explains Dick’s highly unusual fate. Officer Dudley (Sarah Baker) and Sheriff Spencer (Janelle Cochrane) know right away they are in for something strange.

The movie unfolds mostly from Zeke’s perspective as he attempts to cover up the horrific thing that happened. Did he murder Dick? No, but he certainly had a hand in his friend’s demise even if it is not as cut and dry as a knife or a bullet. It was an accident, but the nature of the accident is so shocking and strange that it makes complete sense that Dick would risk a murder charge to keep people from finding out.

The Death of Dick Long was inspired by a real story that occurred in Washington state in 2005 but trust me, it’s better to go into this movie not knowing what you are in for. Director Daniel Scheinert and screenwriter Billy Chew have some twists and turns that will play better if you are allowing yourself to be surprised. I went in thinking I knew where the movie was headed and found myself floored by the story that Scheinert and company told.

Just as shocking is how the story is told. Based off of the trailer you think you are in for some redneck shenanigans. Instead, Scheinert tells the story with genuine gravity which allows the absurdity to carry much more comic weight. There is a genuine quality to Zeke whose shame and fear are authentic rather than the actions of a comic character. The Death of Dick Long is at its best when Michael Abbott Jr is at his most achingly human.

Zeke has a very, very good reason to be ashamed and it’s not merely that he’s in part responsible for his friend’s death. I adored how Scheinert allows this to play out with moments of absurd comic genius against a backdrop of human frailty. The Death of Dick Long has a tricky tone to pull off and Scheinert nails it with laughs that are loud but never when you expect them and drama that you would not associate with such a crass and shallow shocker of a story.

Much like the weight Scheinert brought to his farting dead guy comedy, Swiss Army Man, Scheinert finds heart and depth amid preposterous circumstances. The instinct for most storytellers approaching a story like this would be to make fun of these characters. Scheinert instead portrays them in a sensitive and understanding fashion. Zeke may be foolish but it comes from a place of honesty.

The Death of Dick Long is streaming now via most on-demand rental services.