The Integrity of Joseph Chambers

Last updated
The Integrity of Joseph Chambers
Directed byRobert Machoian
Written byRobert Machoian
Produced by
StarringClayne Crawford
CinematographyOscar Ignacio Jiménez
Edited byYvette M. Amirian
Music by William Ryan Fritch
Production
companies
  • Back40 Pictures
  • 433
  • Victorhouse Films
Distributed by Gravitas Ventures
Release date
Running time
96 minutes [2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Integrity of Joseph Chambers is a 2022 American drama film written and directed by Robert Machoian and starring Clayne Crawford. [3]

Contents

Plot

Joe, an insurance salesman, decides to go into the woods alone to hunt deer. He borrows his friend Doug's pickup truck and drives to the forest. Once there, he wanders about until he comes across a deer in the distance. He chases the animal, but loses sight of it. A noise startles him and he shoots his rifle, finding that the bullet struck another man (credited as Lone Wolf) in the chest, seemingly killing him.

Horrified, Joe runs back to the pickup truck and sobs. He returns to the spot and digs a grave in which to bury the dead body. Lone Wolf, however, turns out to be alive, and flees in a panic. Joe chases after him, apologizing for shooting him and saying that he must be brought to a hospital. Lone Wolf refuses. Joe and Lone Wolf have a conversation in which Joe explains that he went deer hunting in order to be better prepared to look after his family. Lone Wolf is revealed to have been living in the woods. Lone Wolf insults Joe's masculinity, calls Joe a "phony," and says that there's "no point" in trying to survive. Lone Wolf dies, and Joe carries his corpse to the grave and buries it, finding a photograph of what appears to be Lone Wolf's wife and children in the process.

Joe then walks over to a stream and fantasizes about returning home to his wife and children and pretending that everything is normal. He then digs up Lone Wolf's corpse, puts it in the back of the pickup truck, drives back into town, and enters a police station, visibly shaken and in stunned silence. The Police Chief, after seeing the corpse in the truck, questions Joe about what happened, and Joe considers what to say before the screen cuts to black.

Cast

Production

Production began in Alabama in December 2020. [5]

Release

The film premiered in June 2022 at the Tribeca Film Festival. [6] [7]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 91% of 32 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "An absorbing and intelligent character piece, The Integrity of Joseph Chambers is further elevated by Clayne Crawford's outstanding performance." [8] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [9]

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, calling it "Thin but compelling." [10]

Piers Marchant of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette also gave the film a positive review and wrote, “Not everything holds together exactly, storywise, but there remains more than enough filmmaking flair, and another strong, committed performance from Crawford, to anchor it down.” [11]

References

  1. Grobar, Matt (June 9, 2022). "'The Integrity Of Joseph Chambers' Teaser: Clayne Crawford, Jordana Brewster, Michael Raymond-James & Jeffrey Dean Morgan Lead Tribeca Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 10, 2022. Deadline has a new teaser for the psychological drama The Integrity of Joseph Chambers, from writer-director Robert Machoian (The Killing of Two Lovers), which is making its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival today.
  2. Debruge, Peter (June 9, 2022). "'The Integrity of Joseph Chambers' Review: Clayne Crawford Goes Hunting for Trouble in Spare Indie Drama". Variety. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  3. Lodderhose, Diana (May 13, 2022). "Visit Films Boards Robert Machoian's Tribeca Premiere 'The Integrity Of Joseph Chambers' — Cannes Market". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  4. Gardner, Chris (June 22, 2021). "Jordana Brewster on Being Asked to Lose Weight for Roles: "I Would Carry That for Years"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  5. Lang, Brent (December 16, 2020). "Clayne Crawford, Director Robert Machoian Re-Team on 'The Integrity of Joseph Chambers' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  6. Goldsmith, Jill (April 19, 2022). "Tribeca Festival Lineup Includes 'Corner Office' With Jon Hamm, Ray Romano's 'Somewhere In Queens', More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  7. Flanagan, Ben (April 21, 2022). "Alabama filmmakers booked for top film festival". AL.com. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  8. "The Integrity of Joseph Chambers". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  9. "The Integrity of Joseph Chambers". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  10. Rooney, David (June 9, 2022). "'The Integrity of Joseph Chambers': Film Review; Tribeca 2022". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  11. Marchant, Piers (June 17, 2022). "OPINION; REVIEW: Three standout movies from 2022 Tribeca Festival". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved June 20, 2022.