The Sisters Brothers

'The Sisters Brothers' is one of those films that just sort of exists, without really trying to do or say anything of note. There's no real through-line to the narrative; it just follows seemingly unrelated events that the brothers experience, with the only real link being that they follow on from each other. The lack of a 'proper story' means that it's never really all that engaging or interesting. That being said it's far from boring, with some of the sequences being quite entertaining. Phoenix and Reilly are excellent throughout, too, and the assured direction means that it's a confidently crafted piece, so there's always a base level of investment there. The protagonists initially seem to be well-grounded, realistic characters, and their similarities and differences lead to a convincing brotherly duo. It's unfortunate, then, that despite their strong formation they aren't necessarily 'good characters'. Throughout the film they don't really change, and this lack of arcs makes the whole affair seem kind of pointless in the end. It could have, and probably should have, been a character study; most pictures of this ilk - those not following a traditional 'three-act' narrative, that is - tend to focus on delving deep into developing core characters, so it's a shame that this picture doesn't even manage that. Like I said though, it never manages to be boring - even if you can feel the length at times - and the direction and performances (Gyllenhaal and Ahmed are good, too, despite being severely underused) are always engaging. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it has all the right pieces, but it unfortunately just doesn't know what to do with them. 6/10

I really enjoyed this film, it combined a variety of western aspects such as the generic shootouts, the gold rush, bounty hunting, experimenting with new science and of course friendship/family, overall I felt it successfully achieved this blend in an interesting and occasionally emotional story. I can see why others may have not clicked with this film as it is definitely character and performance driven, rather than having a story that compelled you throughout. The choice of actors was amazing, whilst they have all achieved much higher performances individually, especially Phoenix and Gyllenhaal, they were still fantastic together and had their moments to shine.

A surprising and beautiful combination of classic western themes with French twist. Profound. I started out feeling disinterested by the predictable characters and ended with tears and a smile. Stick with it; a truly great film.

The Sisters Brothers is directed and co-written by Jacques Audiard, his first English-language work. The film stars John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix as the notorious assassin brothers Eli and Charlie Sisters and the story follows the duo as they chase down two men that's played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed who have banded together to search for gold. Incredible acting throughout the film, all four of them were terrific. John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix were best though, their chemistry were great.

The story starts off simple but evolves into so much more, the script is great, with well written characters and a plot that keeps you interested. There's a lot of towns, cities and locations the characters visit and each is unique and non like the other, great production design. The story isn't the film's strong point though, it's the acting and cinematography as it's visually stunning, each scene satisfies your eyes... With great camera work, lightning, sets and overall authentic. It's some of the best cinematography I have seen, I believe. Benoît Debie did a phenomenal job, one that will hopefully give him many acclaim and maybe awards in the future. The costume department did a magnificent job at creating clothes that are both authentic and also recognizable as you can see who the character is by their clothes, that's a nice and important detail.

Alexandre Desplat's musical score is both powerful and mesmerizing, a soundtrack fitting perfectly with its time period. The sound mixing and editing is also top notch, everything sounds real.

Too bad that this was a box office bomb, but I can understand why. The pacing is quite slow and it is more about character development than action. The few gunfights that exists in the movie is quick and realistic, and brutal. The Sisters Brothers is a must watch if you're a fan of the western genre, as it's one hell of a good western and a beautiful film.

The Sisters Brothers is a superb narrative driven western that doesn't hold back on it's true colors. John C Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix star as an incredible dynamic brother duo, working as assassins chasing Riz Ahmed along with Jake Gyllenhaal, a pair recent pair from Nightcrawler (2014). With outstanding performances all around, the actors create a terrific sense of realism in the relationships between characters, John C Reilly stands out, as he delivers one of his most outstanding serious and heartfelt performances yet. The film takes it times establishing itself as a true but unique western with charm and intensity, but the film hits it's prime in the third act delivering brutal and vigorous scenes. The score fits perfectly into the vibe and tone and elevates scenes to higher and more emotionally gripping spectacle. The cinematography is also notable, with exception use of gun flashes in the dark, and alluring composition. As an entirety, the film is extremely compelling and is one of the best westerns in the past decade.