dnlampos

The story is simple, knowing its limits and never exceeding them. The actors are all great, the music is great, the scenery excellent. For a modern western, it fares much better than anything else I have watched.

Also, Russell proves himself to have calibre as an actor, knowing how to use his physique and looks, and even his eyes work perfectly to express emotion and thinking without having to overdo it. The female lead was great, as was the brother. The big stars of the film, Quaid and McDonald were fine, but nothing too much. What stands out though, even more than the beautiful scenery, is the script. A good, honest story. Will be looking for this director's next film.

For all the amazing talent that it's packing (and every single actor is great, with some obviously standing out, Spall (what a bloody awesome actor), Murphy and Ganz in particular, and in that order) it still fails to be anything more than an old school pseudo-intellectual boring piece, with plots and twists you would find in mediocre theatre plays and film school projects. It clearly draws inspiration from Italian films from the 60's and some Avant-garde stuff from the 80's, but the blend of these inspirations with the modern world makes it even more timid in its final outcome.

One good thing I can find is that, for a film made in 2017, it was smartly critical of gender ideology and in that manner, it stands the test of time.

As for the direction, I can definitely see the director doing something much better, or much worse in the future. It will depend on whether she lets go of the themes that interest her the most in a personal level and drove her to the creative life, thus freeing herself to truly be a director. If she directs something totally in contrast with these themes, I do believe she will flourish and show the directing talent she clearly has.