AMERICAN SAUSAGE STANDOFF: Satire That Never Comes Together

American Sausage Standoff, written and directed by Ulrich Thomsen, is a satire aimed at evangelical Christianity and the permeating racism and homophobia found in small-town America.

The film follows Edward (Ewen Bremner), a German who hopes to open a restaurant specializing in sausages in the small town of Gutterbee, but encounters resistance from the town’s guiding personality, Jimmy Jerry Lee Jones Jr. (W. Earl Brown) and Luke Hosewall (Clark Middleton), a local preacher focused primarily on how much money he can take from the collection each week. Edward finds help with his dream in the form of Mike Dankworth McCoid (Antony Starr).

Sense of Humor and Satire

American Sausage Standoff builds a town that feels similar to the type of overly racist, homophobic, and sexist attitudes present in some areas of small-town America through its over-the-top characters, but the humor does not extend enough past its concept.

At times, the film seems to take too much pleasure in its depictions of Jimmy running Asian Americans out of town through brutal means. There is a level of absurdity to the film, but this does not go far enough to make us laugh at the terribleness of its characters.

Moments of humor stand out, but this does not happen often enough for the experience to be an overall funny one. When the film gets its most absurd, some of the humor comes more into focus, but this does not happen often enough throughout the film. Most moments that strive toward this exist when looking at the fraught history between religion and sausage. These humor bright spots are appreciated and make you wish more of the humor went further with its absurdity.

Strength in Cinematography and Performance

American Sausage Standoff is a visually engaging film, crafting a visual tone that combines noir elements with small-town life–something that feels especially inspired by the work of Joel and Ethan Coen.

The cinematography from Anthony Dod Mantle balances the dusty and empty world of Gutterbee with the darkness of its corruption. This town captures the feeling of an outsider finding themselves in a whole new world, one that feels distant from, but still connected to their own reality.

In addition to a well-crafted visual style, American Sausage Standoff features strong performances which capture the corruption and faux confidence of its central characters. W. Earl Brown brings out the small-minded aspects of Jimmy and makes for a character who feels realistic in his prejudice. Jimmy feels like someone you might see walking around a small town or commenting on internet forums, thinking their racist view of the world is somehow the only way to think.

Ewen Bremner’s performance adds some heart to the film while also offering the most moments of humor. He perfectly brings Edward’s passion to the forefront, helping the audience want him to achieve his sausage dreams.

Antony Starr works well as a drifting member of the town, someone both connected to this slice of American life, yet distant enough to see the crumbling edges and starting to realize the bigotry of his hometown and its people. Antony Starr’s performance brings these sides of his character together in a natural way, showcasing just enough of the small town’s influence in his delivery. The character is on Edward’s side, but you can still feel Mike’s connections to the past.

The film’s performances and cinematography are strong, but without a sense of humor strong enough to match, American Sausage Standoff‘s satire never fully lands and absorbs you into its world of supposing absurdity.

Conclusion

American Sausage Standoff is a satire of religion, bigotry, and corruption of small-town America with a memorable visual style and strong performances, but the humor never takes center stage.

What did you think of American Sausage Standoff? Share your thoughts in the comments.

American Sausage Standoff was released on August 27th in theaters and VOD. 

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