Our Movie Review: Slow West (2015)

Why we watched it: he’s a fan of good westerns, she’s a fan of Fassbender

Our rating: 4 out of 5 stars

His review: The strength of this movie is that clearly know what it is—a simple story told in a very focused style. It doesn’t challenge Western motifs, not does it pander to them. It is a story of a young, love-sick Scot in the American West trying to find his missing love. He’s aided by an Irish bounty hunter, also seeking the wanted girl and her father. The settings are beautiful yet not overwhelming—they, like the characters, feel authentic. The pace is concise, culminating in a powerful final shootout that is well choreographed. There is a Wes Anderson feel to many of the scenes, yet it doesn’t have the quirky characters and oddball antics typical of Anderson’s films. Director John Maclean does a very good job of keeping this film precise, letting the story take its natural course.

This is a good film, worth seeking out.

Her review: There is a lot of talk about how Michael Fassbender is considered one of this generation’s greatest actors. But what’s appealing about him, in my view, is his willingness to embrace a role without the showy “method” feel of someone (*coff*Christian Bale *coff*). There’s a quietness to his acting that works very well in this movie. We don’t learn a lot about his character, or anyone aside from Jay’s, really, but that works with this movie. Things just happen, unfurling in front of us. There is a real sense of unruliness and danger in this story about the west, as well as a acknowledgement and attention to the plight of Native Americans. This movie is only an hour and twenty minutes – a nice switch from longer movies – and it’s refreshing in a number of ways.