At Any Price blends nuanced characters and social critique

This well-crafted family drama examines the economic and emotional costs behind the mythic American dream.

Dennis Quaid, left, plays a charming but ruthless agribusiness boss in At Any Cost. Sony Pictures Classics / AP Photo

At Any Price
Director: Ramin Bahrani
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Zac Efron, Heather Graham, Clancy Brown
***

The Iranian-American writer-director Ramin Bahrani built his career on closely observed, low-budget dramas about the tough lives of impoverished immigrants in US cities. Shot in America's rural Midwest heartland, At Any Price is Bahrani's most glossy and commercial feature yet, but his characteristic blend of nuanced characters and social critique remains intact.

Dennis Quaid is excellent as a charming but ruthless agribusiness boss hoping to pass down his genetically modified seed empire to his aspiring race car-driver son. Their love-hate relationship is complicated by romantic intrigue and morally dubious battles with rival farmers.

Bahrani's measured, meticulous style drags a little, but this well-crafted family drama offers a serious examination of the costs behind the mythic American dream.

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