Westerns have always been an important influence in the ongoing saga of my appreciation for filmmaking. Since my days in diapers, I grew up with Roy Rogers, John Wayne, “Bonanza” and the list goes on. Because of that, I was able to grow a larger admiration for the genre that has since died out.
Yet, I’m still hopeful that the genre will make a resurgence, and if those future films are as well put together as “Slow West,” then we’re all in for something special.
Yearning for affection, Jay Cavendish [Kodi Smit-McPhee] travels from Scotland to the US, where he wanders the old west searching for Rose [Caren Pistorius], his love from the homeland. Now drifting through foreign territory, Jay is out of his element in a land where the law can’t help him. Silas [Michael Fassbender], a bounty hunter, takes pity on Jay and offers him safe passage until he finds Rose, for a price of course.
Oh, only if it were that easy. Everybody has a motive and they aren’t always honest. What is Silas’ true intention and why is another bounty hunter [Ben Mendelsohn] on his tail?
You can tell amazing stories about the old west, but if time machines ever come to fruition, I’ll be staying far, far away from that period of American history. “Slow West” makes it nice and clear that if you’re going to venture out to the middle of nowhere with a pistol in your holster, you better know how to protect yourself because no one else will do it for you.
The beautiful and isolated settings make for a foreboding presence where there‘s never a true figure of the law present.
When Michael Fassbender and Kodi Smit-McPhee are riding along the dusty trail, they’re susceptible to all the dangers that await them.
McPhee represents the quiet traveler that, at first, resorts to a book to learn about his surroundings.
As he spends more time with Fassbender, McPhee pays close attention to his tricks
George Amaru / Art Director
of the trade and learns from his mistakes. He becomes more and more aware of his odd environment and the horrific irony about surviving this way of life.
In Fassbender’s case, he starts off as the western archetype we’ve all seen before – the calm, no-nonsense lone rider that comes into town and finds himself getting into some trouble, or so you think.
At first, he’s exactly that. But as he begins to unravel his hidden persona during a drunken evening, you start to see the cliches falling apart at the seams.
By the end, you believe his attitude towards McPhee. Now, whether it’s hatred, love or both, you’ll have to find out on your own.
With supporting cast members such as Ben Mendelsohn, Caren Pistorius and Rory McCann, how could first-time director John Mclean impress me any more than he already has?
It turns out all he had to do was give way to some truly remarkable cinematography with a surrealist vibe. The old west is portrayed as harsh and almost fairytale-like. Something in my gut tells me that Mclean had to have taken some inspiration from Wes Anderson based on the constant still framing and dark humor throughout.
Without spoiling the joke, there’s a brief moment where Fassbender and McPhee are staring down at something. When it cuts to what they’re looking at, the nature of this visual gag is priceless.
Despite what the title says, “Slow West” is never slow. Our two protagonists briskly move along from place to place, leading to one hell of a climax that always keeps you guessing what’s going to happen next.
Along with “Danny Collins,” “Slow West” is yet another hidden gem from 2015 that many audiences haven’t had a chance to see yet. If it’s still playing in a theater in your area, get on your trusty steed and giddy on up as soon as possible.
You won’t want to miss this visual marvel on anything less than the silver screen. Until next time, Happy Trails!
Rating: A-
Matt Bilodeau can be contacted at mbilodeau@kscequinox.com
