***No final plot spoilers***
It has been some time since I watched a western, but this one was on TV with no advertisement breaks, and the cast list appealed to me. This is an adaptation of a novel. I haven’t read the book, so will not be commenting if it is true to the original story.
1851, and the Gold Rush is in full swing on the west coast of America. A powerful and mysterious man, known only as The Commodore, sends two hired killers on a mission to find and kill a man named Warm. They are the mis-matched brothers named Eli and Charlie Sisters.
Meanwhile, The Commodore has engaged the services of a well-spoken and efficient private detective. His name is John Morris, and he is on the trail of Warm, so he can find him and hold him captive until the brothers arrive to do the dirty work. Warm has a secret chemical formula for identifying gold under water at night. The Commodore wants Eli and Charlie to torture the chemist, write down the formula, and then kill him.
So the quest begins.
We soon discover that Charlie is a quick-tempered drunkard, who is ready to cause trouble and shoot off his gun at every opportunity. By contrast, older brother Eli is a relatively gentle person, pining for his beloved schoolteacher, who he had to leave behind in their home town. Morris finds Warm and pretends to become his friend, waiting for the opportunity to detain him pending the brothers’ arrival.
But they are delayed by all kinds of obstacles. One of their horses is attacked by a bear, and while sleeping one night, Eli is bitten by a huge spider, almost dying from the poisonous bite. When they finally arrive at the rendezvous in Jacksonville, they learn that Morris and Warm have teamed up, and fled to the gold fields. In the next town, they are betrayed by a conniving female saloon-keeper, and have to shoot their way out to freedom.
When they finally catch up with the chemist and the detctive in the California gold fields, things do not turn out as the viewer might suspect.
So, back to that casting, which made me watch the film in the first place.
John C Reilly is the older brother, Eli. Always a reliable actor, and completely convincing as the ruthless killer with a warm heart inside. His brother Charlie is played by Joaquin Phoenix. I can often take or leave that actor, and in this film I didn’t think it mattered who played the brother. Being aggressive and acting drunk has been done by many before, and some have done it better.
British actor Riz Ahmed plays the chemist, Warm. Again, he does a good enough job, but I could have thought of a dozen others who would have done it just as well. Rutger Hauer, near the end of his life, has a mere cameo role as The Commodore. His longest scene is in a coffin, so his talent was rather wasted.
It turned out to be Jake Gyllenhall who stole the film for me, a close second to John C Reilly. His erudite detective was a compelling character portrayal, and I would have liked to have seen even more of him in that film.
Full marks for historical accuracy too. From the saloon interiors, the costume department, and even the weapons used by everyone totin’ a gun.
Cinematography was first rate, as the film is undoubtedly ‘photographed’. It is a film of two halves in many ways, and the second half is far superior to the first. So, stick with it, and you will be rewarded by the latter section. By the way, the soundtrack is really good!
Far from being a landmark film, but better than many I have seen in the same genre.
(The first 25 seconds of this trailer is intentionally dark)
Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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I haven’t got around to seeing this film yet, but your review makes me want to watch it now. I like Westerns.
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Fraggle says it s on Amazon Prime. I watched it on BBC2.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thanks Pete.
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Thanks for the review, Pete! Well done! On BBC it is not longer available. I thought it could be available on the iPlayer, but this was wrong. But Chili UK also has it for renting (2,49 GBP) Best wishes, Michael
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I had checked i-player for Fraggle, so knew they were not showing it.
Thanks, Michael.
(And for all the reblogs too.)
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank you as well, Pete! A great recommendation, and i will return becoming a virtual resident of the UK, for watching the movie. 😉 xx Michael
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I watched this when it was transmitted ‘live’, and I was a bit uncertain prior to watching it, but I did enjoy it, even though I found the ending a bit of an anticlimax. I think I read somewhere that this film is one of the most accurate depictions of gunplay of the time, rather than the usual swaggering standoffs in the middle of the street that we generally see. Not a classic, by any means, but certainly worth watching, in my estimation. Cheers, Jon.
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Yes, that’s why I mentioned the historical accuracy of the weapons used, Jon. It pleased me to see such authenticity.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Going to put this on my list!
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It was on BBC2, so might be on i-player. Hang on…
I just checked, and it isn’t. (Probably copyright issues or similar) 😦
Best wishes, Pete.
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It’s on Prime so I’ll get it there. Cheers!
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“Chemically identify gold under water at night?” Warmest regards, Theo
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It looks more convincing in the film, and the chemical is an important part of the story. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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sounds great
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I think it is worth watching for Gyllenhall and the cinematography, Beth.
Best wishes, Pete.
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yes, and they have written their story which is very powerful as well
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Great cast. Will search this one out.
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Worth watching if if it is free or cheap, and better than I expected.
Best wishes, Pete.
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(1) “The Sisters Brothers.” The title seems a bit contrived to me. How about a film about Elaine and Joyce, “The Brothers Sisters.” At least that would not be fictional.
(2) “Rutger Hauer, near the end of his life, has a mere cameo role as The Commodore. His longest scene is in a coffin…” Maybe they should have sent his body to a taxidermist? That way, he could have hung around longer. Of corpse, that’s illegal…
(3) But maybe Rutger Hauer was a cyborg. Half human, half Commodore computer.
(4) The most recently filmed western I’ve seen is “Bone Tomahawk.” That was back when I used to rustle (russell?) up western films on DVD.
(5) I’ve seen “Sister Act.” There were a lot of sisters in that film, but i don’t recall seeing Charlie and Eli in it.
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I really liked Bone Tomahawk. This film is worth watching, but I would not have paid to see it in a cinema.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I really like this film. The cinematography alone, as you point out, is worth the price of admission. Joaquin Phoenix is one of my favorite actors and, of course, John C. Riley is always very good, even if the film he’s in is lackluster.
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Thanks for your thoughts, Pam. I agree that is is beautifully filmed, and I got to watch it for free. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Have to look it up. Thanks for the review, Pete
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It was better than I expected it to be, Don.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I enjoyed it Pete. And the book is definitely worth a read….
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I liked it a lot more than I expected to, especially Gyllenhall and Reilly.
Is it true to the book, Rich?
Best wishes, Pete.
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To a point. It’s several years since I read it but the book is excellent and the characters come across as more odd yet still somehow endearing in print.
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I can see that. Charlie wasn’t odd enough for me in the film. He was a rather stereotypical gunslinger.
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Yes. I think the novel perhaps gives greater freedom or depth and being non visual allows the reader to fill in those gaps.
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