Directed by Gus Van Sant, Promised Land stars Matt Damon as a salesman for a natural gas company, coming to experience life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation want to tap into the available resources.

I have to confess, I know very little about the subject of natural gas. Of course like most people I know the basics, but due to me having very little opinion and understanding on the matter, I would say my views on this film were completely unbiased when going into it. However due to my little knowledge on the subject matter I found Promised Land not only to be a compelling watch, but also a very intriguing one as well.

Now despite being somewhat educating, the film may not be for everyone. Understandably it can be a little slow, but if you like a good drama, then I would most certainly recommend this one. One of the things I initially found rather appealing about the movie was the appearance of Matt Damon. Now I haven't seen a Matt Damon movie for quite some time, but I've always been a fan of his work and as some of you may already know, he is very outspoken when it comes to problems like the ones that this film decides to address. I think it's safe to say throughout the films duration he looks very focused and determined and as you can most probably expect the end result is a great performance.

One of the things I liked about this movie was that as an audience member I genuinely felt sorry for Matt Damon's character. Admittedly it can be hard to distinguish that emotion, because although he may seem like the bad guy, underneath it all he's the complete opposite and honestly, I really didn't like seeing him get a hard time from the various townsfolk.

In terms of overall performances the film features a pretty well assembled cast. For example aside from Damon, the two that stand out are Frances McDormand and John Krasinski. Admittedly there are a lot of characters present in this film, yet it never really affects the movie as a whole. Instead the film seems to embrace it and for that reason alone, it makes the story a hell of a lot more compelling.

As the film progresses it gradually gets better and probably the thing I liked most about the film was this. Although you have a rough idea as to how you think it's going to end, there is a brilliant twist that completely throws you of guard and honestly, I would be very surprised if anyone saw it coming.

The cinematography is a definite highlight, with a lot of aerial shots and beautiful landscapes; the film is really nice to look at. The score and music are also pretty enjoyable and as a whole it's just a well-made movie. By no means is it anything particularly special, but it is thoroughly entertaining.

Promised Land is a very good film. It features some strong performances as well as providing the audience with an innovative and interesting concept that remains fairly unbiased. It never feels like propaganda, instead it's just a great story.

7/10