The Timber

The Timber is directed by Anthony O'Brien and O'Brien co-writes the screenplay with Steve Allrich and Colin Ossiander. It stars James Ransome, Josh Peck and William Gaunt. Music is by Tim Borquez and cinematography by Phil Parmet.

Two brothers set off on a mission through the snowy wilderness...

The Timber is one of those films that's baffling yet intriguing. One only has to look at some amateur review sites to see that it's reviled and adored in equal measure. Depending on what side of the fence you sit, it's either a misunderstood (and under appreciated) art house Western venture, or a badly edited and incomprehensible mess.

The two brothers played by Ransome and Peck are on a mission to capture their estranged father (Gaunt) who has gone psycho after his Yukon gold well has run dry. This point of reference is not instantly apparent and is quite frankly vague and almost lost in the surreal mix. Upon their journey they encounter problems and weird characters, all this while they also contend with the ghosts of their pasts (for all we know they might actually be ghosts anyway!). The narrative is choppy, punctured by irritatingly long periods of pointless silence, and there seems to be gaps where something else should be formed, thus giving the impression that it was filmed on the fly with mucho improv.

Of course it could well be the intention of the makers was to deliberately make a nightmare/dreamy Apocalypse Now style Oater, and that many of us just don't get it? Or it really is a case of ideas above their station? What isn't in doubt is that it's magnificently photographed, a snowy Western filmed on location in the Carpathian Mountains is a thing to cherish, whilst it is undoubtedly a fascinating production, but conversely it's almost impossible to recommend with confidence. Roll the dice and take your chance... 4/10

Though it does not always offer a coherent narrative, I guess it works as what it is--a Western. The stars offer good performances within the narrow range the story allows. The story has some unexpected thrills and has an unhinged quality. It's beautifully filmed. Having spent some time in the Yukon when I was young, I was surprised to find out it was filmed in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. In the end, there is nothing too remarkable, and the plot has too many loose ends that I suspect are the result of working with some capable actors in bit parts, wanting to do more with them. I feel like it could have been improved with some thought and care and that it would have been worthwhile.

The photography was wonderful and this must have been a difficult film to film for cast and crew in all that snow and ice. But unfortunately for me it was all rather a big disappointment. This is a real shame as there are not enough westerns being made at this time, but this one just did not hit the mark. It was original for sure in its location but rather lost its way. Sorry! For westerns to survive they have to be original and have a good mix of action and dialogue. After all youngsters seem to prefer programmes and films like Game of Thrones. Westworld has captured the imagination of a lot of people and has a lot of fans due to its style and content. Refreshing, to say the least!

There are a lot of movies coming out that give reflection on the financial crisis that we are going through right now, but nothing does it as uniquely as the Timber. Quentin Tarantino, once said you can always tell the state of American society by the western that comes out in that period, and the Timber is true to this statement.

Two brothers are threaten by foreclosure of their land and the lost their livelihood if they can't track down their father. The Timber acts as a testament on what you need to do in order to survive during hard times.

With Josh Peck playing an unlikely western star. It was his performance most of all the brings it home as he struggles through the wild west completely out of his element, in order to find a way to provide for his wife and young son.

The music seem out of place as well yet fit into the atmosphere and set the tone of the Timber

I'm sure things like this were common in the wild west, but what a perfect time for The Timber to come out. It's the most out of the ordinary western I've seen and that's what makes a brilliant one.

In the dead of winter, somewhere in the Northwest 2-brothers, Wyatt (James Ransone) and Samuel (Josh Peck) go bounty hunting for someone who has killed many people. Bringing in this killer will help them save their ranch which is about to go into foreclosure. The killer is their father whom they haven't seen since they were little boys.

The clear winners in here are the cinematography and photography. Kudos. If you did nothing else and turned the sound off and just watched the scenery including some really beautiful horses you would be ahead of the game.

The story is simple enough, but having 2-people trudge along in hip-high snow tired me out too. I was exhausted. Why were they walking? Well, they lost their cart and their horses.

One brother asks Col Rupert Thomas (Mark Caven) their guide and hired gun, "What is the Timber?" The reply was, "it's eventful." Look at The Timber as the BADLANDS. See?

So they journey on and things happen and they meet some mountain men who are bent on killing them maybe for the meat as cannibalization was not unheard of in those times in those very harsh winters.

Meanwhile the women and a baby left at home are having to deal with the Bank's henchmen who are about to evict them and reclaim land for the bank. Oh, oh! Did the bankers trick the brothers into leaving? You decide.

Sometimes in the beginning when the brothers talked to each other, it was difficult to understand what they were saying as they came down with the mumbles. That got better later on. I thought Samuel's name was Daniel because when Wyatt goes looking for him later on in some huge cave, he kept calling out what sounded like: Daniel? Daniel? Daniel? Well that is what it sounded like. Okay, I will get my ears checked. Pretty sure it was…….. Daniel. Pretty sure...........

I don't recall the music (Ears again?), and it was the scenery that kept me going. There are some scenes that were tough to watch during the fighting and tortures. I had the FF button at the ready. Make sure you do too.

Over all this is a movie you can pass on and miss nothing. But if you like to see a lot of snow all the time, and like watching people lumber along in it, this is for you.

Oh, the fighting was done mostly with knives. Hey, they had guns why didn't they use them? No one knows.

This was a western, but it wasn't that good a one. It is watchable though. (5/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, but not too much.