Slow West

  This John Maclean film, has already one a major award at Sundance.  Some will find this film slow, but at such a short running time I hope will give it a go.  It stars Michael Fassbender as Silas and Cody Smit-McPhee as Jay.  Jay is making a pilgrimage to find is love.  He meets Silas, who neglects to mention that his beloved is a wanted fugitive with a $2,000 price tag on her head.

  Silas tries to instill Jay with enough "smarts" to get him through the journey. Unfortunately, some lessons take more quickly and harshly than others.  The film has a light touch of humour.  I felt this paired well with the grimness and violence of the West.  Maclean peppers the film with sublime sight gags and in one instance, an outlaw's recollection of a former colleague's disappointment at not having his own wanted poster. 

  Unlike most of this genre, Slow West doesn't revel in the wide-open Leone-esque expanses of the frontier.  Instead it is squared off in a narrow frame, the cinematographer (Robbie Ryan) gives it a more intimate feel.  This works, without taking away from the country's beauty.  The colour palette is striking throughout from one scene with Jay wading through the ashen remains of an Indian camp, to a character being abandoned in the desolate prairie with nothing but his longjohns and a blanket.

  Smit-McPhee stands his ground admirably in the part of Jay.  He also has a skill with silent comedy his visual gestures throughout is almost Chaplin-esque.  Fassbender gives perhaps his best performance since Inglorious.  Silas's duality is really brought to the screen.

  The bulk of the film focuses on just these two actors, although occasionally they share screen time with others, notably Ben Mendelsohn as a wily, cigar-chewing outlaw. I am a big fan of Mendelsohn and he is on top form here.

  I will say, that I feel this picture owes a debt of gratitude to True Grit at times it could be its spiritual twin.  This film will be in selected Cinemas on June 26th and will look great on the big screen, well worth the price of a ticket.

I give Slow West a 7 out of 10.

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