Blood on My Name

came in to this short BLOOD ON MY NAME knowing nothing about it except that is was supposedly a " musical western " and that's a cross genre you don't see every day . In fact I think I might be correct in saying it's possibly a cross genre you might not see in a lifetime . Singing cowboys ? Whatever next ? Gay cowboys ? Oh hold on ... . Anyway to cut a long story short I expected from the outset we'd be getting a short film where the entire film was told through song rather than dialogue but this isn't how it turned as two desperate and obviously wanted men stagger through an Autumnal woodland

This is the fundamental problem with the film . The first half is contains hints and clues as to who these two men are and of their situation and is dramatic enough to make you forget all about the statement that this is supposed to be a musical western . When Thomas states " Then this is the end " I fully expected the soundtrack to burst in to a sample of the classic song by The Doors most associated with APOCALYPSE NOW but this doesn't happen . Regardless what I did notice was the eldritch screams off camera that instantly reminded me of the infected from 28 DAYS LATER . Who were these " dreads " and why are so feared ? Sadly we never get to find out and when the musical number does finally arrive I found myself wishing that we should have a more straightforward western adventure and you can understand why there's not much of a market for singing cowboys

"For we receive the due reward of our deeds" is the opening caption and we quickly find ourselves in the middle of an atmospheric scene where two men drag a box through the woods. They are bloodied and desperate and clearly on the run from some sort of justice but we are not fully informed as to their story or what the details of all this is. This is important to mention because while the narrative is light on detail, the film does do a great job of informing us with tone and atmosphere and even knowing nothing you are right there with it – understanding things like consequences, feeling etc. The old western feel is really well done – but not the John Wayne style but the There Will be Blood style. It is gritty, dirty and dangerous.

For me personally the second half doesn't quite work as well as the first. The first half is very strong on atmosphere with strong performances from the two leads, dialogue and impressive cinematography which makes the most of the location. The second half continues a lot of this but becomes a music video of sorts. It is still atmospheric and still has a lot of style and content but at the same time the concept didn't work as well for me as the first half. I did like the song but it always felt dubbed over the top of events (which of course it is) but somehow it was never totally part of things. It is hard to describe how I felt on this, but although the main character was lip synching the track, at the same time it felt disconnected and I missed the real "air" of the time and place that had existed prior to this section.

That said, it does still work very well. The two performances are very good, the cinematography and locations work very well and the whole film has an engaging and convincing atmosphere. The music video section may not quite be up to the same level, but even still it works.