County Line: All In is the follow-up to 2017’s County Line. Alden Rockwell (Tom Wopat, The Dukes of Hazzard) has once again been reelected as sheriff of Maksville County. However, his best friend Clint lost his race in neighboring York County, using it as an excuse to finally retire and move away to the Florida Keys. Replacing Clint as sheriff of York County in a very close race is the younger, greener Joanne Porter (Kelsey Crane, Chasing Life), who’s lack of experience and the fact that she’s a woman has led many, including her own mayor, to question Jo’s ability to do her job.
When the body of a dead lawyer is found spanning the county line, both Alden and Jo try to claim jurisdiction, but since nine tenths of the body resides in York County, and possession is nine tenths of the law, Sheriff Porter takes ownership of the case. Alden believes that local “businessman” Zack Van Zant (Ric Reitz) has something to do with the murder. He and Clint had been trying and failing to get charges against Van Zant to stick for years, and so Alden wants to make sure it happens this time, for Clint. He offers to help out with the case, but Jo is determined to solve this murder on her own, to prove her doubters wrong. However, Alden continues to launch his own unofficial investigation, hoping to solve the murder first out of spite, so he can gloat. But as the bodies start to pile up, the two sheriffs realize they’re going to need to work together if they’re going to solve this mystery.
I wasn’t even aware that County Line: All In was the second film in a franchise when I first received this DVD for review, so I checked out the original movie first via streaming. (At the time of this review, the original County Line movie is available to stream for free with ads on services such as Peacock, The Roku Channel, Vudu, Tubi and Amazon Freevee.) The County Line movies are set in two small neighboring counties in Georgia, each with its own personality and laws. The townsfolk often hang out at the local diner, Maddie’s, which is strides the county line. There’s even a thick green line running across the floor/tables in the diner, denoting the divide. Gambling is allowed in one county but not the other, and vice-versa when it comes to alcohol consumption, as proprietor Maddie Hall (Patricia Richardson) likes to remind folks of this. Alden is a widower, but has recently started dating Maddie, who is constantly looking out for his health, and acts more like a mother to all of the patrons at the diner. Alden holds his weekly poker game at the diner with his new deputy, Dante (Denim Richards), as well as a retired judge and district attorney. Alden is a fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy, not worrying too much about the rules. He’s been in this job for a long time, has connections, and knows the residents and how things work. So he usually just goes with his gut, which often gets him in some precarious situations. This also causes him to butt heads with the new sheriff of York County, who is trying to do everything by the book, and prove that a woman can be just as capable of a sheriff. There is this fun dynamic that develops between Alden and Jo, where they start off as enemies but end up becoming more of colleagues, much like Alden and Clint in the first film.
I don’t think it’s necessary to have seen County Line in order to fully enjoy this second installment. While the first film provides a little more background on some of the characters, their dynamics, and the county line setting, the two cases explored in the films are completely separate. This second film also does a nice job of re-introducing the characters and the symbiotic and rival nature of these neighboring counties. The overall tone of the film is light and fun, even when there are bodies dropping and murders to investigate. Characters are always joking around, especially Alden, who’s constantly finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, getting into fistfights and shootouts with the bad guys. County Line: All In has a bit of a throwback feel to the action TV shows of the 1980s, or even the blue skies era of USA Network. The characters are well-developed, and you really get a sense of what small town life is like in these counties—you want to hang out with these characters at Maddie’s.
While the County Line franchise would certainly work well as a TV series, the filmmakers have chosen to follow the adventures of these counties via a series of films&mndash;and it looks like there’s already a third film in the works, County Line: No Fear. The feature length nature allows for more exploration into the characters, and some additional twists and turns to the cases, so that everything isn’t solved in just 42 minutes. I really enjoyed both of these movies, possibly this second one even more than the first. Nothing against Jeff Fahey, but I really liked the new dynamic of paring this younger, less experienced female sheriff with the hardened old-timer. While she’s more by-the-book and has something to prove, he’s a bit set in his ways, doesn’t care what others think, and believes he knows everything. He just goes with his gut, using more tried and true old school methods. He is also not really a fan of technology, or maybe he’s just scared of it.
County Line: All In has an interesting murder case at the core, which takes some unexpected twists and turns, and leads to some fun action and fight sequences—Luke Duke can still throw some punches! At the same time, the film also gives each of the characters their own personal growth and story arc.
County Line: All In arrives only on DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment (but is also available digitally in HD). While I would prefer the option of a Blu-ray, the SD picture of the DVD still looks quite good, and never detracted from my enjoyment of the film. The audio track provides clear dialogue and makes nice use of the surround channel to provide ambiance, showcases the film’s fun, tone-setting score, and puts the viewer into the middle of the action.
The DVD disc comes packed in a standard DVD keepcase without a slipcover. The disc includes about 5 minutes of behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast/crew, a short set tour, and some trailers for other Imagicomm releases.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:26:53)
- 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
- Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English
Extras:
- First Look (3:00)
The cast and crew talk about the premise of this sequel, the case/mystery at the core, the new characters and dynamics, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producer Gary Wheeler, and stars Patricia Richardson (“Maddie Hall”), Denim Richards (“Dante Hill”), Kelsey Crane (“Joanne Porter”) & Tom Wopat (“Alden Rockwell”).
- Cast Reunion (2:01)
The stars talk about returning to and/or joining the cast of the franchise, and what it was like working with one another. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with Tom Wopat, Patricia Richardson, William Shockley (“Sam Tate”), Abbi Butler (“Ember Rockwell”), Denim Richards, Ric Reitz (“Zack Van Zant”), Kelsey Crane & Danny Vinson (“Skooter”).
- Set Tour (2:20)
Star Kelsey Crane takes viewers on a tour of the set for Maddie’s diner, as well as the sheriffs’ offices, where she’s joined by Denim Richards.
- More From Imagicomm
Select from trailers for County Line (2:26), The Warrant (2:37), Blue Ridge (1:58), and Legal Action (2:24).
Final Thoughts:
County Line: All In is a fun follow-up to the 2017 film County Line, taking viewers on another case with Sheriff Alden Rockwell and the quirky residents of neighboring York and Maksville counties. This sequel also brings in some great new characters, such as new Sheriff Joanne Porter, to butt heats with Alden. New viewers can either jump right in with this second film, or watch the original County Line first, but it’s not required to fully enjoy this latest installment of the franchise. Mill Creek’s DVD release looks and sound great, and includes a small but entertaining assortment of bonus material.
COUNTY LINE: ALL IN
$9.99 (as of April 26, 2024 03:58 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
County Line: All In
$3.99 (as of April 26, 2024 03:58 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
