GENRE:
Western
RATING:
R for sexual content and nudity
RUNTIME:
2 hours and 6 minutes
PLATFORM:
Netflix
STARRING:
Benedict Cumberbatch (Imitation Game, Doctor
Strange)
Kirsten
Dunst (Spider-Man); Kodi Smit-McPhee (X-Men: Apocalypse)
DIRECTOR:
Jane Campion (The Piano, Holy Smoke, Top
of the Lake)
WRITER:
Campion (The Piano, In
the Cut, Bright Star)
PLOT:
A rancher torments his new sister-in-law and her son.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I hate westerns. This was just for the Oscars.
STORY STUFF: Not a fan of the western. Don’t like the slow pace and the dust and dirty lifestyle. This film has plenty of both. Interesting that it was divided into five parts. Watching someone torment others is not that captivating to me. There’s a bit of a twist at the end but if you’ve seen any high school television show, you’ll know what the bullies are hiding.
ACTING STUFF: Cumberbatch plays a good asshole. I’m usually a fan of Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst but neither of their performances grabbed me this time around (despite what the Oscars think), I preferred them in the second season of Fargo. Smit-McPhee does well as the delicate son.
ARTISTIC STUFF: I did enjoy Ari Wegner’s cinematography of the film. New Zealand is beautiful subbing in for Montana. I was not a fan of the music. I appreciate the fact that Johnny Greenwood (There Will Be Blood) didn’t go the twangy angle but the tonal score didn’t work for me. It did remind me of There Will Be Blood.
VERDICT:
One and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF:
You like slow westerns or want to prep for Oscars
UPCOMING REVIEW: Oscar Predictions
No comments:
Post a Comment