The Deputy (2026) Movie Review: A Dark, Messy and Unexpected Crime Thriller
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The Deputy (2026) is a dark crime thriller with comedy, mystery and neo-noir elements. Directed by Matt Sukkar, the movie follows Toby Sawyer, a young and inexperienced deputy whose simple assignment turns into a dangerous investigation after the dead body he has been ordered to guard suddenly disappears.
What begins as a routine police job quickly becomes a nightmare.
Toby is supposed to watch over a corpse until the authorities arrive. Instead, he loses track of the body and finds himself caught in a much bigger problem involving corruption, human trafficking, criminal activity and people inside the local law-enforcement system who seem to know much more than they are willing to admit.
The movie stars Duke Nicholson as Toby, alongside William H. Macy, Tiffany Haddish, Stephen Dorff, Billie Lourd, Devon Ross, Julia Fox, Colleen Camp and Daniel Diemer.
Released in September 2026, The Deputy is Matt Sukkar’s feature directorial debut. The film is based on the novel by Victor Gischler, with the screenplay credited to Carlo Bernard. (Rotten Tomatoes)
My overall rating: 7/10
The Deputy (2026) at a Glance
| Movie detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Movie title | The Deputy |
| Year | 2026 |
| Genre | Crime, Thriller, Action, Drama, Comedy |
| Director | Matt Sukkar |
| Writer | Carlo Bernard |
| Based on | Victor Gischler’s novel |
| Main character | Toby Sawyer |
| Lead actor | Duke Nicholson |
| Runtime | About 98 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Rating | R |
| Distributor | Well Go USA Entertainment |
| Release date | September 25, 2026 |
The film was released in limited theaters and digitally on September 25, 2026. (Rotten Tomatoes)
What Is The Deputy (2026) About?
At the center of The Deputy (2026) is Toby Sawyer, a rookie part-time deputy working in a small town.
Toby is not presented as the perfect police officer.
In fact, the movie makes it clear almost immediately that he is inexperienced, careless and not particularly impressive at his job.
That is important because the entire story depends on his mistakes.
One night, Toby receives an assignment from Sheriff Krueger, played by William H. Macy.
His job is very simple:
Watch a dead body.
The victim is Luke Jordan.
Toby is supposed to remain with the body until the proper authorities arrive.
It should be one of the easiest assignments imaginable.
But Toby is Toby.
He becomes distracted.
He leaves the body.
And when he returns, the corpse is gone.
That single mistake changes everything.
Suddenly Toby has a problem that he cannot explain.
Where is the body?
Who took it?
Why would someone steal a dead body?
And, perhaps most importantly, who knew enough about the situation to make the body disappear?
Instead of simply reporting his mistake, Toby begins searching for answers.
That decision takes him into a dangerous world involving criminals, corrupt officials and secrets that have apparently existed in the community for years.
The Story Is Bigger Than the Missing Body
The missing corpse is only the beginning.
As Toby investigates, he discovers that Luke Jordan was connected to people and activities that are much darker than he initially understood.
The investigation eventually touches on human trafficking, hidden money, criminal relationships and corruption involving people who should have been protecting the community.
The official synopsis describes Toby’s search as exposing “decades of small-town rot,” while other sources identify human trafficking and police corruption as major parts of the mystery. (Rotten Tomatoes)
This gives the film a classic small-town noir feeling.
On the surface, the town looks ordinary.
People know one another.
The police appear to maintain order.
Businesses operate normally.
But underneath that surface is another world.
People have secrets.
Some people are protecting themselves.
Others are protecting money.
And some are simply trying to survive.
Duke Nicholson as Toby Sawyer
Duke Nicholson carries the movie as Toby Sawyer.
That is not an easy role.
Toby is not naturally heroic.
He is not especially confident.
He is not the smartest person in the room.
He makes bad decisions.
He gets himself into trouble.
And he sometimes seems completely overwhelmed by the events happening around him.
But this is exactly what makes him interesting.
If Toby were an expert police officer who immediately understood the conspiracy, The Deputy would be a much more ordinary thriller.
Instead, we watch a man who is clearly out of his depth.
He does not have all the answers.
He does not always know who to trust.
He makes mistakes.
Sometimes he survives because he is lucky rather than because he is brilliant.
That gives the movie a darkly comic quality.
Toby Is an Unlikely Hero
One of the movie’s strongest ideas is that heroes do not always look heroic.
Toby begins the story as a deeply flawed person.
His professional life is unstable.
His personal life is also complicated.
He has a wife, Doris, played by Billie Lourd, and a baby at home. But his relationship is already in trouble.
He is also involved with Molly, played by Devon Ross.
So before the mystery even becomes serious, Toby is already making questionable decisions.
This makes it difficult for the audience to immediately respect him.
But the movie is not asking us to respect Toby at the beginning.
It is asking us to watch him change.
The danger forces him to become more responsible.
The missing body becomes a turning point.
For perhaps the first time, Toby has something serious to prove.
He cannot simply walk away.
Duke Nicholson’s Performance
Duke Nicholson gives a quiet performance.
Toby is not a loud character.
He does not constantly announce his intentions.
Instead, Nicholson uses body language and facial expressions to show how uncomfortable Toby becomes as the night gets worse.
That works particularly well because Toby is surrounded by more experienced people.
He often looks like someone who has accidentally walked into a situation much larger than himself.
RogerEbert.com’s Simon Abrams described Nicholson’s performance as restrained and noted that his physical behavior becomes increasingly beaten down as Toby’s problems grow. (Roger Ebert)
That is an important part of the performance.
Toby begins as an almost lazy and careless deputy.
By the end, he has been pushed through fear, violence and uncertainty.
The physical transformation helps us understand the psychological one.
The Jack Nicholson Connection
Duke Nicholson is the grandson of legendary actor Jack Nicholson.
That fact has naturally attracted attention to the movie.
But the interesting thing is that The Deputy does not depend entirely on that family connection.
Duke Nicholson has to carry the film himself.
This is his first major leading role, and the movie gives him plenty of responsibility.
Some critics have questioned whether his understated performance is charismatic enough for a traditional leading role. Others have praised him for fitting Toby’s awkward personality. RogerEbert.com, for example, argued that his seemingly passive style works for a character who is constantly underestimated. (Roger Ebert)
That difference in opinion is understandable.
Toby is not supposed to be a charismatic action hero.
He is supposed to look like an ordinary, somewhat lost person who suddenly finds himself in extraordinary danger.
Nicholson fits that idea reasonably well.
William H. Macy as Sheriff Krueger
William H. Macy brings a different energy to the movie.
He plays Sheriff Krueger, Toby’s superior.
Krueger is supposed to represent authority.
He is experienced.
He understands the town.
He understands the people in it.
And he appears to know much more about the situation than Toby.
That creates immediate suspicion.
Is Krueger simply a difficult boss?
Is he protecting someone?
Does he know about the corruption?
Or is there another explanation?
Macy gives the character an unusual mixture of authority and eccentricity.
His performance adds some of the film’s dark humor.
However, one criticism from RogerEbert.com’s review is that the sheriff feels underdeveloped compared with what an actor of Macy’s ability could have done with the part. (Roger Ebert)
That is a fair criticism.
Macy is good, but the script does not always give him enough material.
Tiffany Haddish as Amanda Jackson
Tiffany Haddish plays Deputy Amanda Jackson.
Her character is important because she becomes one of the few people Toby can trust.
Amanda is more skeptical and capable than Toby.
She does not immediately believe everything he says.
That is understandable.
After all, Toby has already lost a dead body.
Why should anyone believe him?
Their relationship therefore develops gradually.
Amanda does not simply become Toby’s sidekick.
She has her own judgment.
She questions his decisions.
And she provides some much-needed balance.
The movie also avoids turning Haddish’s character into a purely comedic role.
She still has moments of humor, but Amanda is primarily a serious police character.
Stephen Dorff as Billy Banks
Stephen Dorff plays Deputy Billy Banks.
Billy is another important figure in Toby’s story.
Unlike Amanda, Billy puts pressure on Toby to stop asking questions.
That immediately raises suspicion.
Why does he want Toby to stop?
What is he afraid Toby will discover?
Is he protecting the department?
Is he protecting himself?
Or does he simply want to prevent unnecessary trouble?
Billy becomes part of the larger question about corruption.
In a movie where Toby cannot easily distinguish between good people and bad people, characters like Billy create additional tension.
Billie Lourd as Doris
Billie Lourd plays Toby’s wife, Doris.
Her character gives the movie a personal dimension.
Doris is tired of Toby’s lifestyle and concerned about the safety of their family.
She wants something different.
She wants a safer environment for herself and their child.
This relationship is important because Toby’s investigation is not happening in isolation.
He is a husband and a father.
Every decision has consequences.
If he gets killed, his family suffers.
If he loses his job, his family suffers.
If he continues making reckless decisions, his family suffers.
That makes his eventual transformation more meaningful.
The Supporting Cast
The movie has an impressive supporting cast for a relatively modest crime thriller.
Alongside Nicholson, Macy, Haddish and Dorff, the cast includes Devon Ross, Julia Fox, Colleen Camp, Daniel Diemer and Ben Smith-Petersen. (FilmAffinity)
Several of these performers have relatively small roles.
That creates an unusual situation.
Some supporting characters are so colorful that they occasionally threaten to become more interesting than Toby.
RogerEbert.com’s review makes a similar observation, noting that several supporting actors have scene-stealing qualities even though their characters are not always developed enough. (Roger Ebert)
This is both a strength and a weakness.
It makes the world feel populated.
But it also means that some characters leave the audience wanting more.
The Small-Town Noir Atmosphere
One of the best things about The Deputy is its atmosphere.
The movie does not feel like a glossy police blockbuster.
It feels darker.
More isolated.
More uncomfortable.
The town seems to contain secrets everywhere.
There are dark roads.
Quiet buildings.
Police vehicles.
Empty spaces.
Nighttime locations.
People who do not want to answer questions.
The setting helps create the feeling that Toby is trapped.
There is nowhere obvious for him to escape.
The more he investigates, the deeper he goes.
The Cinematography
The cinematography by Alejandro Mejía supports the film’s dark tone.
The movie uses muted nighttime imagery to create a feeling of isolation.
According to one review, the film uses a relatively controlled visual style during dialogue scenes before becoming more mobile during action sequences. (Kevin’s Film Reviews)
That contrast works.
When people are talking, the camera can feel stable.
When danger arrives, the visual style becomes more energetic.
This makes the action feel more immediate.
It is not groundbreaking cinematography, but it serves the story well.
The Music and Sound
The score by Daniel Vildósola also contributes to the atmosphere.
The movie does not constantly use loud music to tell viewers that something frightening is happening.
Instead, the music is relatively restrained.
Guitar-based sounds and environmental noise help create the feeling of a quiet night where something is not quite right.
That approach works particularly well for a crime story.
Silence can sometimes create more tension than a huge orchestral score.
The Dark Comedy
One of the most interesting things about The Deputy (2026) is that it is not entirely serious.
There is a strange humor running through the movie.
But it is not comedy in the traditional sense.
The humor often comes from Toby’s incompetence.
He is trying to deal with situations that are far beyond his experience.
He sometimes reacts in ways that are almost ridiculous.
And yet people are genuinely in danger.
That contrast creates dark comedy.
You might laugh at Toby’s mistake one moment and then realize that the consequences could be deadly.
That combination gives the movie a slightly unusual tone.
Is The Deputy Funny?
Yes, but it is better described as a darkly comic crime thriller than a comedy.
If you are expecting a Tiffany Haddish comedy, this is not that movie.
Haddish’s role is much more serious.
The humor mostly comes from the circumstances.
Toby is a flawed man in an increasingly dangerous situation.
His mistakes are sometimes funny.
His desperation can also be funny.
But the violence is real.
That creates an uncomfortable balance.
The Missing Body Mystery
The central mystery is simple:
Where did the body go?
That question is enough to start the story.
But the mystery quickly expands.
The missing corpse leads Toby toward other crimes.
The more he discovers, the more complicated everything becomes.
This is where the movie follows familiar crime-thriller territory.
There are hidden connections.
There are corrupt people.
There are people trying to protect themselves.
There are dangerous criminals.
And there are characters who know more than they are saying.
The movie is not reinventing the mystery genre.
But it uses familiar elements effectively enough to keep the story moving.
The Corruption Story
Corruption is one of the movie’s main themes.
Toby gradually discovers that the problem is not limited to one criminal.
There appears to be a larger system that allows illegal activity to continue.
This is important because it changes the nature of Toby’s investigation.
At first, he is looking for a missing corpse.
Later, he is looking at an entire network of wrongdoing.
The story therefore becomes less about one murder and more about the structures that allowed the crimes to happen.
Human Trafficking in The Deputy
The movie also introduces human trafficking into its crime story.
This gives the investigation more serious stakes.
Toby encounters evidence that vulnerable people are being transported and exploited.
One of the film’s more significant characters is Marisela, a migrant caught within this dangerous situation. RogerEbert.com’s review specifically highlights scenes involving Marisela as among the film’s stronger procedural moments. (Roger Ebert)
These scenes help Toby understand that the problem is much larger than his own professional embarrassment.
He cannot simply recover the body and forget what happened.
There are real victims.
That gives his investigation a moral purpose.
Toby’s Transformation
This is arguably the most important part of the film.
At the beginning, Toby is difficult to admire.
He is careless.
He is distracted.
He is not particularly ambitious.
His professional behavior is questionable.
His personal behavior is also questionable.
But the disappearance of the body forces him to change.
Suddenly he has responsibility.
Suddenly people are depending on him.
Suddenly his own life is at risk.
And slowly, he starts making decisions for reasons larger than himself.
That is his character arc.
He begins as an irresponsible deputy.
He gradually becomes someone willing to accept responsibility.
Is Toby a Good Cop?
At the beginning?
Not really.
By the end?
He is becoming one.
That is what makes the character interesting.
The movie does not start with an already-perfect hero.
Instead, it gives us someone who has to grow.
Toby’s journey is less about becoming the best police officer in the world and more about becoming a person who is willing to do the right thing when it becomes difficult.
That is a simpler but more believable form of heroism.
The Action in The Deputy
There is action in the movie, but The Deputy is not an action blockbuster.
The film spends more time building its mystery than staging large-scale set pieces.
There are moments when Toby has to run, fight, hide and defend himself.
These sequences work best because Toby is not an expert fighter.
When he gets into trouble, you genuinely feel that he might lose.
That is better than watching an invincible action hero defeat ten people without breaking a sweat.
Toby looks vulnerable.
And vulnerability creates tension.
Does The Deputy Have Good Suspense?
Mostly.
The strongest suspense comes from Toby not knowing who he can trust.
That uncertainty is more effective than the action itself.
When a character tells Toby something, we immediately wonder:
Is it true?
When someone offers to help him, we wonder:
Can he trust them?
When someone tells him to stop investigating, we wonder:
What are they hiding?
These questions keep the story moving.
The Problem With Predictability
The biggest weakness of The Deputy is that some parts of the mystery are easier to predict than they should be.
Once certain characters appear, experienced viewers may quickly guess which people are connected to the conspiracy.
The movie has some twists, but not all of them are surprising.
Several critics have made similar observations.
One review described the conclusion as predictable, while another noted that the movie sometimes feels like a familiar crime thriller despite its entertaining journey. (Kevin’s Film Reviews)
This is where the movie falls short of becoming a truly memorable thriller.
It is entertaining.
But it does not always surprise.
The Screenplay
The screenplay comes from Carlo Bernard, who is known for work including Narcos and Narcos: Mexico. The story is based on Victor Gischler’s novel. (CineMovie)
The screenplay has a clear understanding of genre.
It knows how to create a mystery.
It knows how to introduce danger.
It knows how to make Toby’s situation progressively worse.
But it sometimes tries to fit too many ideas into a relatively short movie.
We have:
- the missing corpse
- police corruption
- human trafficking
- criminal families
- hidden money
- Toby’s marriage
- his affair
- his career
- his responsibilities as a father
- the town’s history
All of these elements are interesting.
The problem is that not all of them receive equal development.
The Relationship Between Toby and Doris
Toby’s marriage is one of the film’s more interesting personal elements.
Doris wants stability.
Toby does not seem to understand how much his behavior is hurting his family.
This is important because the movie does not present him as a perfect husband who suddenly becomes heroic.
He has to confront his own mistakes.
The danger around him forces him to reconsider what matters.
That includes his family.
The fatherhood element becomes increasingly important toward the end.
Toby and Molly
Toby’s relationship with Molly creates another layer of personal dysfunction.
It shows how careless he has been before the main story begins.
This is useful because it prevents the audience from seeing Toby as an innocent victim.
He has made mistakes.
He has hurt people.
He has avoided responsibility.
Now he is being forced to deal with consequences.
That gives his eventual growth more weight.
The Importance of Amanda
Amanda Jackson becomes increasingly important because she represents a more responsible version of law enforcement.
She questions Toby.
She does not blindly accept his claims.
But she also begins to see that something is wrong.
Her eventual willingness to help him creates one of the movie’s most important relationships.
Toby needs someone who believes him.
Amanda becomes that person.
Tiffany Haddish brings enough authority to make the partnership work, even if the character could have been written with more depth.
Why The Deputy Works
Despite its flaws, the movie has several things going for it.
1. The central premise is good
A deputy loses a corpse he was supposed to protect.
That is a great setup.
2. Toby is unusual
He is not the traditional action hero.
3. The atmosphere is strong
The movie has a dark, isolated feeling.
4. The cast is talented
Macy, Haddish, Dorff, Lourd and the rest give the movie credibility.
5. The humor helps
The dark comedy prevents the film from becoming too heavy.
6. The story keeps expanding
What begins as a simple mystery becomes a much larger conspiracy.
7. The movie has a clear character arc
Toby changes.
That gives the story emotional structure.
What Does Not Work?
There are also real weaknesses.
1. Some characters are underdeveloped
Several talented actors are given less material than expected.
2. The conspiracy is familiar
Some viewers may guess where the story is going.
3. Toby can be frustrating
His mistakes sometimes make it difficult to sympathize with him.
4. The movie sometimes moves slowly
There are moments when the investigation seems to lose momentum.
5. The ending is not particularly surprising
The conclusion is more satisfying as character development than as a mystery reveal.
6. The tone can be uneven
The movie moves between serious crime drama and dark comedy.
For some viewers, that combination will work.
For others, it may feel inconsistent.
What Critics Think About The Deputy (2026)
The critical reaction has been mixed.
Rotten Tomatoes currently lists The Deputy at 57% from critics, based on 14 reviews, indicating a divided response. (Rotten Tomatoes)
Some critics have praised Duke Nicholson’s performance and the movie’s atmosphere.
Others have criticized the predictable plot and underdeveloped characters.
RogerEbert.com’s review calls the film a mostly compelling neo-noir but also describes it as relatively conventional and restrained. (Roger Ebert)
Under the Radar gave the movie 6/10, describing it as a diverting police thriller with humor but not something especially outstanding. (Under the Radar Magazine)
Another review from Kevin’s Film Reviews gave it 3/5, praising Nicholson’s consistency and the way the film combines comedy with violent tension while criticizing the predictable conclusion. (Kevin’s Film Reviews)
So the general critical picture is clear:
The Deputy is not a masterpiece, but it is an entertaining crime movie with enough personality to make it worth watching.
The Deputy Compared With Fargo
It is almost impossible to discuss a quirky small-town crime movie without mentioning Fargo.
The Deputy clearly has some qualities associated with that type of crime story.
There is:
- dark humor
- crime
- ordinary people caught in extraordinary situations
- questionable law enforcement
- strange characters
- violence
- a small-town atmosphere
But The Deputy does not reach the level of the Coen brothers’ best work.
It is more conventional.
The characters are not always as sharply written.
The humor is less distinctive.
The mystery is more predictable.
Still, the comparison helps explain the film’s tone.
Is The Deputy Like Fargo?
A little, but do not expect another Fargo.
If you enjoy dark crime stories where ordinary people get trapped in complicated situations, you may enjoy this movie.
But The Deputy has its own identity.
Its focus is more strongly placed on Toby’s transformation.
The Ending of The Deputy Explained
Spoilers ahead.
The ending brings Toby’s investigation toward its conclusion.
After everything he has experienced, Toby is no longer the same careless deputy we met at the beginning.
The missing body has forced him to confront corruption, violence and his own personal failures.
The final stages of the movie are less about discovering one giant secret and more about Toby finally taking responsibility.
He has spent much of his life avoiding difficult choices.
Now he has to make them.
That is why the ending works better as a character conclusion than as a mystery conclusion.
Some viewers may find the final revelations predictable.
That criticism is fair.
But the emotional point is that Toby finally understands what is at stake.
Does The Deputy Have a Happy Ending?
Not exactly.
The ending is not a traditional feel-good conclusion.
The film has dealt with serious crimes and violence, so it would feel strange to suddenly become completely cheerful.
But there is some sense of personal growth.
Toby has changed.
He has discovered that being a father, husband and police officer requires responsibility.
He cannot continue living as if his decisions only affect him.
That realization is perhaps his greatest victory.
What Is The Main Message of The Deputy?
The central message is simple:
Responsibility can force a person to grow up.
Toby begins as someone who avoids responsibility.
He is careless at work.
His personal relationships are damaged.
He does not appear to have a clear direction.
Then the missing body changes everything.
Suddenly, people are depending on him.
Suddenly, his actions have serious consequences.
The crisis forces him to become the person he should have been earlier.
That is the heart of the movie.
The Deputy and Fatherhood
Fatherhood is another important theme.
Toby has a baby.
That fact changes the way we look at him.
He is not simply a careless young man.
He is responsible for another human being.
When danger arrives, the audience understands that Toby has something more important than his career to protect.
The film uses fatherhood to show his growth.
He begins thinking mostly about himself.
He gradually starts thinking about his family.
That shift gives the story more emotional weight.
Is The Deputy Worth Watching?
Yes.
But I would recommend it with one important warning:
Do not watch it expecting a perfect crime thriller.
It is uneven.
Some parts are predictable.
Some characters deserve more development.
The central investigation occasionally feels too convenient.
But there is enough here to keep the movie interesting.
The strongest reason to watch is Duke Nicholson.
He gives Toby an unusual quality.
The character is awkward, flawed and sometimes frustrating.
Yet you gradually begin to care about him.
That is not easy to achieve.
Who Should Watch The Deputy?
You should consider watching The Deputy (2026) if you enjoy:
- crime thrillers
- small-town mysteries
- dark comedy
- police dramas
- neo-noir movies
- stories about corruption
- unusual protagonists
- independent-style thrillers
- character-driven crime films
- movies with morally complicated characters
You may not enjoy it if you prefer:
- fast action
- massive set pieces
- superhero-style heroes
- complex mystery twists
- highly polished blockbuster filmmaking
- stories where every character is fully explained
Final Verdict on The Deputy (2026)
The Deputy (2026) is a flawed but entertaining crime thriller.
It has an excellent basic idea: a rookie deputy is ordered to guard a dead body, loses it, and then discovers that the disappearance is connected to a much larger criminal conspiracy.
That setup immediately gives the movie personality.
Duke Nicholson is also an interesting choice for the lead.
He does not play Toby as a conventional action hero.
Instead, Toby is awkward, uncertain and often completely overwhelmed.
That makes his transformation more believable.
William H. Macy provides a memorable presence as Sheriff Krueger, while Tiffany Haddish brings authority to Amanda Jackson. Stephen Dorff, Billie Lourd and the rest of the supporting cast help create a world filled with suspicious and complicated characters. (Rotten Tomatoes)
The biggest problem is that the movie does not always take its good ideas far enough.
The conspiracy can be predictable.
Some supporting characters feel underused.
And the story occasionally seems to move from one discovery to another without allowing Toby to fully earn every breakthrough.
Still, The Deputy succeeds as a dark, entertaining crime movie.
It is not the next Fargo.
It is not a groundbreaking neo-noir.
But it is a reasonably engaging story about an ordinary, flawed man who finds himself in an extraordinary situation.
And perhaps that is the best way to describe Toby:
He is not the hero you would choose. He is the hero the situation forces you to follow.
My rating: 7/10
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Story | 7/10 |
| Acting | 7.5/10 |
| Duke Nicholson | 7.5/10 |
| Direction | 7/10 |
| Cinematography | 7.5/10 |
| Mystery | 6.5/10 |
| Action | 6.5/10 |
| Comedy | 7/10 |
| Characters | 7/10 |
| Ending | 6.5/10 |
| Overall | 7/10 |
Final Recommendation
The Deputy (2026) is worth watching if you want a dark crime thriller with an unusual main character, a missing-body mystery, small-town corruption and a touch of black comedy.
It has weaknesses, but the atmosphere, cast and Toby’s strange journey give it enough personality to stand apart from a completely ordinary police thriller.
Where to learn more
The Deputy — RogerEbert.com review