When their father sold their souls to the Devil before they were born, Ish, Enoch, and Abe (Brendan Bradley, Nican Robinson, and Jordon Bolden) were saddled with a debt they couldn’t hope to settle. Their only chance at avoiding eternal damnation is to find their estranged parent in the hope he will recant. A relatively straightforward, relatively familiar premise, you might think, but this is no ordinary movie. This is a genre-defying, wild ride of a movie with choreographed musical numbers peppered with bloody, unflinching violence. It is brazenly original and demands you just go along with it.
Until it doesn’t, when everything slows down into an extended finale, which doesn’t quite work.
Any attempt to define The Devil and the Daylong Brothers feels like an exercise in futility, but if one were to try, this is a Southern Gothic, religiously inspired Western musical horror. And the musical part turns out to be the most interesting element. Characters bursting into well-written, catchy show-tune-style numbers amidst shootouts or while carving each other up strangely works, and enormous credit must go to Nicholas Kirk (who produced the music and co-wrote the film) and director Brandon McCormick. And the cast delivers exactly what is expected, with over-the-top performances that match and enhance the bizarre visual style of the movie. Think AMC’s Preacher, but with songs.
However, as mentioned, the finale is somewhat of an issue with things being tied up a little too neatly for a potential follow-up. But embrace the craziness, gorge on the graphic novel-style violence, and sing along with the power anthems, and you may not even notice!
THE DEVIL AND THE DAYLONG BROTHERS is out now on digital platforms in the US and coming soon to the UK.
