Back to trending
Shotgun Stories

Shotgun Stories

Drama · Thriller · 2007

Shotgun Stories tracks a feud that erupts between two sets of half brothers following the death of their father. Set against the cotton fields and back roads of Southeast Arkansas, these brothers discover the lengths to which each will go to protect their family.

Movie details

Shotgun Stories

“Two families. One feud. No going back.”

2007 Drama · Thriller 1h 32m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.9 / 10

Community rating

Shotgun Stories tracks a feud that erupts between two sets of half brothers following the death of their father. Set against the cotton fields and back roads of Southeast Arkansas, these brothers discover the lengths to which each will go to protect their family.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Shotgun Stories?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Not Without Hope

Not Without Hope

Thriller · 2025

A group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.

A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire

Drama · 1951

A disturbed, aging Southern belle moves in with her sister for solace — but being face-to-face with her brutish brother-in-law accelerates her downward spiral.

Nell

Nell

Drama · 1994

In a remote woodland cabin, a small town doctor discovers Nell — a beautiful young hermit woman with many secrets.

The Straight Story

The Straight Story

Drama · 1999

Retired farmer and widower Alvin Straight learns one day that his estranged brother Lyle has suffered a severe stroke. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. He then has the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.

The Parts You Lose

The Parts You Lose

Drama · 2019

An unlikely friendship unfolds between a young deaf boy, Wesley, and a fugitive criminal who takes refuge in an abandoned barn on the family’s rural North Dakota farm.

Remember

Remember

Drama · 2015

With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person responsible for the death of his family.

The House on Carroll Street

The House on Carroll Street

Drama · 1988

A reporter, fired after refusing to give names to a 1951 House Un-American Activities Committee, takes a part-time job as companion to an old lady. While working she overhears a noisy argument in the neighboring house, being conducted largely in German and involving her HUAC prosecutor. She begins to investigate, enlisting the help of the FBI Agent initially detailed to surveil her.

6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain

6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain

Thriller · 2017

An adrenaline seeking snowboarder gets lost in a massive winter storm in the back country of the High Sierras where he is pushed to the limits of human endurance and forced to battle his own personal demons as he fights for survival....

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It

Drama · 1992

The Maclean brothers, Paul and Norman, live a relatively idyllic life in rural Montana, spending much of their time fly fishing. The sons of a minister, the boys eventually part company when Norman moves east to attend college, leaving his rebellious brother to find trouble back home. When Norman finally returns, the siblings resume their fishing outings, and assess where they've been and where they're going.

Mud

Mud

Drama · 2013

Two teenage boys find a fugitive hiding out on an island in the Mississippi River and help him reunite with his lover and escape an avenging family and their armed posse.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jeff Nichols

Written by

Jeff Nichols

Michael Shannon

Michael Shannon

Son Hayes

D

Douglas Ligon

Boy Hayes

Barlow Jacobs

Barlow Jacobs

Kid Hayes

Michael Abbott Jr.

Michael Abbott Jr.

Cleaman Hayes

T

Travis Smith

Mark Hayes

L

Lynnsee Provence

Stephen Hayes

D

David Rhodes

John Hayes

Court is in session

Put Shotgun Stories on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.