Category: Western
-
The Harder They Fall (*****) Welcome to the Majors
This is Majors’ film, through and through. It’s his arrival on the big stage, and he does not waste the opportunity.
-
3 Godfathers (***) – John Ford / John Wayne play on Wisemen
All told, this is a beautiful, if dispensable film for any time. It’s got a universal appeal with a simple story that works for purposes of a positive message in a desert world.
-
Let Him Go (****) Moves the old fashioned way
Diane Lane has had a remarkable career. She has aged gracefully in a field that does not usually allow women to grow old on camera.
-
-
Criterion: Red Sun (*) You can’t spend ideas
Director Terence YoungScreenplay Denne Bart Petitclerc, William Roberts, Lawrence RomanStarring Charles Bronson, Ursula Andress, Toshirō Mifune, Alain Delon, Capucine Red Sun is a Franco-Italian gimmick film made on the cheap. It seemed like a great idea, I suppose. Mifune’s move to making American films always feels gimmicky. Race relations had evolved only to the point…
-
The Kid (***1/2) is a good first step
“The Kid is a good film with a limited scope. D’Onofrio manages to keep things within the realm of the legend as we know it and add a little something extra. Here’s one vote to see the great actor work a little more on becoming a better director.”
-
War for the Planet of the Apes (****1/2) is cleverly reverential
War for the Planet of the Apes – 2017 Director Matt Reeves Written by Mark Bomback and Reeves Starring Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Ty Olsson, Michael Adamthwaite, Toby Kebbell, Judy Greer, Sara Cannning, Max Lloyd-Jones, Devy Dalton, Aleks Paunovic, Amiah Miller, Gabriel Chavarria In the opening scenes of War for the Planet of the…
-
The Magnificent Seven (****) is star power at its best
Even if you are not a fan of the recent spate of pale remakes that come along with every generation, this update is worth your time. It will take a spot in my collection, to be sure. Right after Kurosawa.
-
Free State of Jones (****) – The rebellion to the rebellion
McConaughey is certainly uninterested in presenting himself as a movie star. His performance stands in direct contrast to, say, DiCaprio’s overly desperate attempts and dramatization in The Revenant. Whereas that film goes out of its way to change history in order to make its protagonist the only sympathetic figure in the story, we get more…
-
Jane Got A Gun (***1/2): Hell’s coming with me
O’Connor has not done nearly as much as a director of his caliber since his incredible last effort, Warrior, mentioned earlier. If nothing else, Jane Got A Gun shows that he can take other people’s material and make something that we can feel. It’s a good, memorable western that allows us to know we come…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 