Butcher's Crossing

Definately check this one out. I hope it picks up some traction with viewers as not many will have seen this film. It's beautifully shot and the transition from fall to winter was great. The use of the Buffalo and the locations is really special and very well directed and edited. Not a huge amount happens plot wise, it mainly a survival story but there are still a few dramatic shocks to be had. Cage is always engaging and the shaved head look was a surprise! The rest of the cast are decent. The ending tails of a bit but it's a great depiction of human greed and an early example of man putting money and success above everything else.

A lot of folks are making some statements that could be misunderstood by most. Buffalo hunting in 1800s was a very lucrative occupation for someone who had nothing. So, I'm taking it out of realm of "OMG" and putting into a perspective of the hunters. They did make a lot of money in their time for these hides. And there was in our perspective a lot of waist. But it was a living. If it could have been avoided, there might have been something else that was equally as distasteful. That was the old west, and people have take that into consideration.

Find something else to beat down or complain.00.

I wanted to give a higher rate but it's hard because the movie has many issues. That being said, it's not a bad movie, very watchable especially if you love westerns.

The actors performances are good, the story and plot are decent. Probably lacks more action. You won't see many bullets.

My biggest issue, and maybe this is a "me problem", is their clothing. I see this problem many times in modern low budget westerns. The people in charge of the outfits, wardrobes and characters design should put a bigger effort in making the audience feel the old western days, teleporting the audience back in time. Instead, I feel they are wearing Levi's jeans and gap shirts, all clean. The horses are also way too clean.

Anyway, it's not that big of a deal, just wanted to share my point of view.

Cheers.

I think that this movie achieves its aim in demonstrating to the audience the tragic wastefulness of nineteenth centuries bison hunting. It doesn't really touch on the racialized element in the destruction of bison, in that it was in part based on the belief that "one less buffalo meant one less Native American." But it does aptly portray the greed. It also portrays the monotony of hunting bison, which makes for a movie that is sometimes downright boring and repetitive. There is a lot of attention paid to accurate historical details and Nicholas Cage is excellent as the brooding, disturbed, obsessive Miller. Xander Berkeley also puts in a noteworthy performance. Overall, a powerful message wrapped in a somber and kinda dull film in the "we lost ourselves in the wilderness" genre. Worth the watch.

I didn't really expect to like this film all that much. Sometimes in that situation you turn out to be right, sometimes you turn out to be pleasantly surprised. 'Butcher's Crossing' fell somewhere in the middle. I certainly enjoyed it more than I expected to, let's just say that.

The casting of Nicolas Cage is an interesting one. On the one hand, I didn't feel he was overly suited to the role. On the other hand, I felt his charisma brought a lot to the movie. And in a movie that is pretty desolate and grim, having a character/actor that you can enjoy and feel some familiarity with can go a long way.

I found myself a lot more interested in the story line than I expected. Generally old-time westerns do absolutely nothing for me. But the story here, simple as it was, kept me entertained and wanting to know what was around the next corner. 6.5/10.