This film is just utter chaos; it seems your God doesn't even appear in it. Texas Killing Fields comes from director Ami Canaan Mann and writer Don Ferrarone, with a cast including Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jessica Chastain, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Clarke, Annabeth Gish, and Stephen Graham. Dickon Hinchliffe composed the music, and Stuart Dryburgh handled the cinematography. The film draws inspiration from actual events concerning the numerous murders of women discovered in an isolated stretch of road and wasteland situated between Houston and Galveston. Ami Canaan Mann is Michael Mann’s daughter, a highly regarded figure in modern crime cinema, so it's not unexpected that she would delve into dark territory for her second project. Texas Killing Fields functions as a bayou noir; while the title suggests an uncontrolled display of human devastation, it’s really a slow-developing story more focused on those investigating the crimes than the individuals committing them. The film progresses by exploring how these tragic events impact everyone who becomes involved with the central crimes. Unfortunately, the screenplay attempts to cover too much ground and nearly undermines what could have been a very strong movie. When it comes to atmosphere and technical expertise in achieving that atmosphere, this is among the best films recently made. There’s an ongoing sense of ominous dread throughout; the desolate landscapes are eerie and spectral, and the entire area seems to reek of death and misery. Even when the story moves away from the fields referenced in the title, a feeling of despair emanates from Mann and Dryburgh's cinematography, with the intense Texas heat seeming to draw every drop of sweat from the emotionally distressed detectives. The music by Hinchliffe greatly enhances this atmosphere, adding unsettling bluesy tones to the overall sense of gloom. Despite all this skillful atmospheric creation, the screenplay proves problematic. A subplot involving Worthington and Chastain as a former couple feels completely unnecessary and squanders Chastain’s talent. While the filmmakers chose to feature potential suspects prominently on screen (unlike the actual cases, most of which remain unsolved), they fail to maintain any real sense of mystery; observant viewers will quickly figure things out. There are also issues with the sound mixing, which is occasionally terrible, making some important dialogue exchanges difficult to hear. The acting is solid, especially from Morgan and Moretz, and Mann demonstrates a good touch when it comes to action sequences, complementing her talent for creating mood. Nevertheless, this feels like a disappointment, and subsequent reviews and online rating systems place it just above average. That’s perhaps an unjust assessment; fans of neo-noir and crime movies will find much to appreciate here, but Mann may need to refine her storytelling skills to fully realize her obvious potential. 6.5/10

Source on TMDB