Population 436 (DVD)

Like a cross between The Spring (2000) and 2001 Maniacs (2005), with a little The Stepford Wives (1975) thrown in for good measure, Population 436 is one of those "Don't stay overnight in the small idyllic town, especially if your car has broken down" type movies.

Steve Kady (Jeremy Sisto, playing against his usual dark/troubled type) has driven over a pothole and caused a flat tire; he was looking at a pretty girl horseback riding in a nearby field, when he should have been watching the road. Later on, he meets Courtney (Charlotte Sullivan, looking very much like Jennifer Connelly's double, minus the resplendent rack) and is invited to stay with she and her family while the local garage fixes Steve's wheels.

Steve is a census-taker, and he soon learns that the population of Rockwell Falls hasn't changed from the number 436 in over 100 years. As he looks into the oddity, Steve begins making friends in town — the first one is shy deputy Deputy Caine (Fred Durst, not at all channeling his usual self-inflated rock star ego), who teaches him to shoot a pistol and confesses his lifelong love for Steve's hostess, Courtney. The next day, Steve and Courtney take a roll in the hay inside the barn, and Caine sees them through a convenient knothole. Now Steve has one less friend in Rockwell Falls.

Population 436 is written, directed, and stars people with lots of TV experience — and it shows. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but if you are looking for theatrical-pacing and lots of blood and gore, you'll likely be disappointed. This movie feels like it was made for television and while it is pretty much by-the-numbers, it's still worth a look if you're in the mood for a suspense-thriller which requires little thinking on your part. It's a decent time-waster, and fans of Sisto or/and Durst will be pleased.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson