A star-making turn by long-time, Detroit theatre warhorse Roosevelt Johnson compliments this self-produced and distributed neo-urban noir directed by noted gospel music producer Joe Smith (his second film) and his producing partner, Detroit-based actor Dejaun Ford.
As with any proceedings of noir past: it's the Shakespearian-styled twists (where the cycle pinched cues) that keeps one guessing and keeps one watching. At first glance of the theatrical, Tubi-one-sheet: you think you're getting a horror film, as a rag-tag group battles a supernatural force (and in a way, they do, just not in the way expected). Then, when the bible verse/opening title card of Psalms 91: 1-2 appears: you believe you're getting a Christian cinema tale of redemption (and, in a way, you do, just not in the light-hearted way you expected).
Pastor James Mitchell (a solid, you-want-to-see-more James Abernathy) oversees the flock of a successful, inner city Detroit church -- but he's lost the "faith" of his two, most-important sheep: his teenaged daughter and son. The street-sassy Tameka (Martina Motley in an indie-fine, leading-lady debut) has taken up a life of crime with her hard-nosed lesbian lover, RIP (an engaging, cinéma-vérité-styled, promising acting turn by J Loud). Chris (a good Bryson Steen), envious of his sister Tameka's new-found freedom, quickly follows in her criminal footsteps -- just as RIP (along with her crew of Malik Frazier, as Trey, and Dejuan Ford, as Martrez) decides to raise the stakes from their usual carjackings -- to more lucrative home invasions. Their first target is the well-off, kindly and charismatic gentleman of the neighborhood, the God-loving Mr. Gilmore (again, the mesmerizing Roosevelt Johnson) -- who is not the "old man" he seems to be.
Unlike most indie-streamers galloping Tubi's low-budget tundras suffering cinematography faux pas, Thomas Pawlowski keeps the story professionally-framed and image-sharp: all of the pick-ups, coverage and reverses you expect in a major-studio picture -- ones usually lacking from indie streamers, are here. Courtesy of editors Doug Jezak and Charles Spudd Spence, "Dance with the Devil" sticks to the story with an appreciated, tight running-time of 73-minutes that keeps the proceeding constantly moving, as an unknown -- but far from unskilled cast -- keeps the viewer engaged until the film's shocking, Tarantino-inspired, downshifting conclusion.
So, while the proceedings are definitely not a "10" (save that for "The Godfather," "Goodfellas," "Star Wars"), they certainly do not rate as a "1" (save that for "Manos: Hands of Fate," "Plan 9 from Outer Space"), either. For a self-produced and self-distributed indie shot in the low-five figures, Joe Smith's second effort at telling urban-based tales is a competent, commendable one -- and indicates his next films will only improve as he builds his indie resume.
