Promised Land

MUST SEE: Gus Van Sant's Promised Land (US, 2012) - A quietly absorbing drama about an unlikely anti-corporate crusader, "Promised Land" uses a familiar story arc to decry corruption in the energy industry, specifically the controversial natural-gas drilling technique known as "fracking." Yet the subtler, more resonant warning sounded by Gus Van Sant's latest picture lies in its mournful portrait of an economically depressed farming community, evoking an imperiled way of American life in microcosm. Although too dramatically underpowered to achieve more than modest commercial impact, this well-acted, minor-key passion project for star-producer-scribe Matt Damon could parlay heated op-ed coverage into a respectable arthouse showing. RATING: 8