Cost of a Soul: Film Review

As much as you want to celebrate the success story behind the indie movie Cost of a Soul, your final impression is that of a talented newcomer done in by artistic overreach. While Penn State film school grad Sean Kirkpatrick does a fine job in establishing a gritty inner-city milieu and a collection of more than credible street characters caught up in an endless cycle of crime and violence, his body count reaches the proportions of the worst sort of studio schlock. Going for a shock effect, he instead strains credulity and risks unintended laughs.