Perhaps one of the most compelling reasons to see Promised Land is to understand just exactly why it gets oil and gas industry insiders’ blood boiling.

First a couple of spoilers: The oil and gas executives are the bad guys -- so cunning they play both sides of a fight over oil and gas leasing in a small town. Also, the movie’s scientific presentation of fracing consists of setting a toy farm on fire in front of gasping schoolchildren.

In making the movie, Matt Damon, its star and co-writer, has ...