Meskada

Meskada is a 2010 American crime drama written and directed by Josh Sternfeld and stars Nick Stahl and Rachel Nichols as police detectives assigned to investigate a home invasion wherein a young boy is murdered in the commission of the crime.

Plot

Two men Shane Loakin (Jonathan Tucker) and Eddie Arlinger (Kellan Lutz), desperate for money to support their families, break into what they believe to be an unoccupied home in the fictitious midwestern town of Hilliard. They soon panic when they find a young boy home alone. Eddie, in the heat of the panic, strikes the boy as the boy goes towards the phone to call the police. The boy dies.

Detective Noah Cordin (Stahl) is a detective in Hilliard. He and his partner, Leslie Spencer (Nichols) are assigned to the case. Noah believes the crime had to have been committed by two people. He promises the murdered boy's mother, Allison Connor (Laura Benanti),that he will find her son's killer(s). Noah is married and has a son of his own so he feels personally compelled to solve the crime.

During the investigation, Noah locates a piece of evidence that links the suspect(s) to a nearby town, Caswell. Caswell is an impoverished town and also Noah's home town. Both Hilliard and Caswell are in Meskada County

After a cattle call like interview process of virtually the entire town ends with no viable leads, Noah, who it appears has not been back to Caswell in several years, returns to an annual town event as a cover for surreptitiously conducting further investigation.

One of the cattle call interviewees is Norman (Dennis Burrows), who is Shane's brother-in-law, and who knows nothing of Shane's involvement in the crime. Norman lies to the police about his alibi as he's having an extra marital affair. The lie throws him under suspicion by Noah who doesn't know the true reason for the lie. During Noah's return he questions an intoxicated Shane trying to get him to inform on Norman. Shane tries to assure Noah that Norman was not involved in the crime but Noah is not convinced.

Norman is often out of work and the son (Charlie Tahan) he and Shane's sister (Rebecca Henderson) share needs a very expensive operation which is one of the reasons Shane resorts to breaking into houses.

To complicate matters, it turns out Caswell is applying their commission in Meskada County to agree to allow a pharmaceutical company to take over an old building thus creating hundreds of jobs for the town which has all but gone under. The victim, it turns out, is the son of a member of the Meskada County Commission. Caswell residents fear the police attention to their town will affect the vote of the Commsion, which it does. Noah is treated as an enemy for continuing to investigate in Caswell. Noah is also receiving pressure in Hilliard. Lily, during a rowdy town hall meeting, publicly accuses him of trying to protect his hometown by stalling her son's murder investigation

Meanwhile, Shane is breaking down and becoming more and more paranoid. He confronts Eddie and tells him they should leave town. Eddie, who is married to Nat (Grace Gummer) refuses telling Shane he won't leave Nat behind. Shane worries that Eddie has told Nat but Eddie denies it and also tells Shane that leaving now would call attention to them.

A break finally comes in the case when Nat is caught pawning some of the stolen items given to her by Eddie. Noah and Leslie question Nat where she unknowingly and inadvertently implicates Shane.

The police track down the guy who helped Nat pawn the items and in a foot chase Leslie is beaten by two of the men they are chasing and Noah comes scarily close to having to shoot the other suspect who has a gun.

Shane and Eddie panic and try to leave town but are stopped and confronted by Norman and other men in the town who now know who committed the crime. Norman, in a struggle with Shane, cuts Shane's throat with a broken beer bottle. The men tell Eddie to leave Caswell and never come back. Shane's dead body, ostensibly offered up as a sacrifice to the Maskada County Commission, is found later on the steps of the county building. In his clutched hand are petitions covered with signatures from Caswell residents lobbying for the pharmaceutical company to be approved.

Although it seems the person responsible for the crime is dead, Noah still believes there is an accomplice still outstanding. He and Leslie go to the local bar in Caswell and trash it while demanding the identity of Shane's accomplice. The bar manager and patrons, even under the duress, don't say a word. Noah is furious by their willingness to protect a murderer and leaves disgusted.

In the closing shot Noah stops to see Lily who is packing a moving van. Even though Noah knows there is one suspect still in the loose, in an act of compassion, he tells a questioning Lily that everyone in her son's death has been accounted for. Lily, who turned on Noah and questioned his abilities, now thanks Noah and tells him to go home to his family.

The movie's executive producer is Sig De Miguel with music by Lee Curreri and Steve Weinberg. It features cinematography by Daniel Sariano and was edited by Phyllis Housen.

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