June
22
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SLOW WEST (15)
SLOW WEST (15)
Run Time: 1h 23m
Director: John Maclean
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ben Mendelsohn, Caren Pistorius, Rory McCann
Synopsis: A lovelorn young Scottish nobleman travels across America in pursuit of the woman he loves, attracting the attention of a mysterious outlaw, Silas, who is willing to serve as a guide.
The directorial debut of Scottish filmmaker John Maclean (formerly of The Beta Band) is a surreal, allegorical and pronounced revisionist Western which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival 2015.
Slow West pivots around the relationship between the young lovelorn Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and grizzled bounty hunter Silas (Michael Fassbender). Travelling across a barren American wasteland, the Don Quixote like duo soon find themselves pursued by a nefarious gang of outlaws led by Payne (Ben Mendelsohn) with whom Silas appears to have a mysterious connection.
Slow West unfolds as its titles implies in a dream like landscape and is carried by the strong acting performances of the entire ensemble with Fassbender’s Silas – a possibly unreliable narrator – natural and riveting at all times. Kodi Smit-McPhee as the young Cavendish on a rites of passage journey never falters.
Visually outstanding imagery is conjured up by cinematographer Robbie Ryan, recreating Colorado in the New Zealand landscape, accompanied by an excellent acoustic score by Jed Kurzel.
With subtle humour, delicate solemnity and masterful direction, Slow West heralds the arrival of a very exciting talent in Maclean and a refreshing addition to the current Western genre re-boot.
Images courtesy of Lionsgate
