When tackling such a tough political and environmental issue as fracking, it can be difficult for a film to avoid going overboard with its message. Promised Land does a solid job of staying subtle on its obvious stance on fracking for the majority of the film, only to succumb to a series of narrative decisions that sabotages the solid work preceding it.

Written by stars Matt Damon and John Krasinski from a story by Dave Eggers, director Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) subtly blends small-town drama with a political, environmental tale for the majority of the film. Telling the story of Steve Butler (Damon), a natural gas salesman who, along with his partner Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand), arrive in a small rural town with the seemingly easy task of bringing natural gas drilling (fracking) to the town and infusing the economy with millions of dollars.

The story deals with the complex environmental impact fracking has with grace and subtlety for the majority of the film. Steve and Sue are both extremely likable, down-to-earth people despite the fact they’re representing the side the film we will ultimately side against. Damon is fantastic in the role and works off McDormand extremely well. Butler meets and begins to interact regularly with local townspeople, from a pretty teacher, Alice (Rosemarie DeWitt) he meets in a bar and a local teacher (Hal Holbrook), to a convenience store owner (Titus Welliver), whose business advertises “Guitars, Guns and Gas,” and local farmer (Scoot McNairy). All these supporting performances are solid, and support the film’s best aspects as a character-driven drama.

Eventually an environmentalist with a hidden motive, Dustin Noble (Krasinski), arrives in the town bringing some very real concerns to the table that puts a wrench in Butler’s plans for bringing natural gas to the town. A rivalry of sorts comes to the forefront between Butler and Noble, as the effort of selling the community on natural gas becomes more personal then anything. There is a clear message running through the film’s first half or so, but it’s more in the characters’ moral interactions and decisions than an overall message on fracking.

Because of this the film thrives during these character interactions. Holbrook and McNairy are excellent as two of the biggest opponents of fracking in the community. What makes these characters so effective is they each have opposite approaches to expressing their distaste for fracking. A competition of sorts between Butler and Noble arises when it comes to Alice, and while it gets a little cliche in the love-triangle aspect, Van Sant never hits us over the head with it too much.

Butler is a farm-boy turned corporate salesman, and there’s conflict both for his character and – on a larger level – America as a whole coursing through the film; what was and what is for America is at stake. Promised Land is drama-lite, character-driven and firmly aware of what it should be until the final act, where it makes the mistake of sacrificing its characters and the townspeople for narrative shifts which bring the politics of it all to the forefront.

Well acted and effortlessly told for the first two-thirds of the film, Promised Land unfortunately makes a series of ill-advised decisions towards its climax that makes the drama feel rather pedestrian when all is said and done. For the most part, the film is a solid, character-driven drama that balances its agenda quite well, but in the end loses sight of what made it work up until that point.

Grade: B-

Rated: R (for language)

Promised Land opens in limited release on December 28, 2012; it expands nationwide on January 4, 2013.