Os Irmãos Sisters

A stud line-up produces a solid modern western in a time when the genre has certainly lived way passed its prime. Never really dead, The Western, proves time and time again that even with its typical tropes, run-of-the-mill grizzled outlaws, and the learned sheepish "city" man that set out to settle for a better life; to risk all they knew to find the dream, that the genre still has something to give us.

The Sisters Brothers gives us a character study that focuses on the fraternity of brotherhood, and in this case, a very close look at a twisted one that at its core finds the fundamental values of what it means to be a brother. We have all seen Joaquin Phoenix play this type before; reckless and obstreperous, while we find Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed sharing screen time (again). But this is truly John C. Reilly's movie, who at first, is certainly overlooked and shown to us as the "lesser" brother. As we come to find out the truth we see the foils of Reilly's and Phoenix's character come full circle; ultimately seeing how their past has affected them. We notice (indirectly) how father figures are important role models, and to some extent we even get a taste of the affect mothers have on their kids as well as we see traits of either parent in both brothers as they film goes on. Reilly gets his iconic moment and really the final statement of how far he will go to protect his brother when the time comes, and it is awesome. Certainly the highlight of the entire film for me.

At times slow, the film has moments of wittiness and subtle humor that remains fresh throughout. The Sisters Brothers is definitely worth seeing as it makes its statement as a film of its genre with great performances, especially from Reilly.

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.

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.

This movie is by all means different of the others westerns movies you could have seen. It is funny by moments, rough by moments, calm maybe too calm sometimes. But the story is great and entertaining, and the actors are just a perfect fit. Cinematography is also great and it made us feels like we are with them!

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.