The Lesser Evil

A prank gone horribly wrong resurfaces decades later to haunt the participants in this compelling little indie suspense flick, told with an unusual double-flashback technique. In the first flashback, Ivan, Frank, George, and Derek reunite for the first time in 22 years. In the second, we witness the deadly chain of events that drove the friends apart. Back in the first flashback, we learn that the police have at last turned up evidence that points to Derek. The dual structure of the movie makes for an engaging parallel rise in suspense: just as events spin out of control for the teenagers, their later selves descend into a chaos of mistrust and divided loyalties. Not once, but twice the four friends must learn that gunplay and threatened manhood don't mix.