BFI
Cross City Films
DMC Film
Film4 Productions
HanWay Films
Not part of a collection.
Slow West
Wanted Dead or Dead
In the Old West, a 17-year-old Scottish boy teams up with a mysterious gunman to find the woman with whom he is infatuated.
- Original title
- Slow West
- Language
- EN
- Country
- NZ,GB
- Budget
- $2,000,000
- Revenue
- $1,617,522
John Chard
Mar 6, 2016 · via TMDB
One's a falling angel - the other one's a rising devil. Slow West is written and directed by John Maclean. It stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender, Ben Mendelsohn, Caren Pistorius and Rory McCann. Music is by Jed Kurzel and cinematography by Robbie Ryan. It's the late 1800s and a teenage Scottish aristocrat travels to the American West to track down the girl he loves with all his heart... There has been a number of modern day directors who have not only refused to let the Western genre die, but also to not be afraid to take it to a harshness of the West level. They have chosen to strip it back to a sense of realism, with no frills and bunting, just a show of tough times populated by tough people and people tough out of luck. Slow West is one such Oater. For his first full length feature, John Maclean has chosen to make a genre of film he clearly knows something about. It's got some familiar tropes - greenhorn, grizzled bounty hunter, deadly gang et al, but Maclean has still made a fresh picture, one that not only intrigues and excites, but also humours by way of some black comedy inserts. Essentially it's a travelogue piece, McPhee's lovelorn Jay Cavendish ends up being escorted on his journey by Fassbender's mysterious tough guy Silas Selleck. It's an odd yet engaging pairing, and as they are pursued by Selleck's old gang, and they come across a number of eccentric or devious characters, you may find yourself hoping that all the hidden agendas - the secrets bubbling away in the background - do not shatter the surrogate relationship neither was looking for. His heart was in the wrong place. Ah, but yes! Maclean shows gumption to go all mud and blood on our butts, building everything to a quite terrific final quarter of film that has rode in on a black stallion straight from noirville. No printing the legend here, it's a bitter commentary on the romanticised view of the Old West. Western fans keen of ear will pick up on some historically spiky dialogue exchanges, whilst also noting the nods towards the immigration angles, where Maclean doesn't pull punches as to how desperate the Old West was for many of those who travelled hoping for a better life. Predominantly filmed in New Zealand (superbly standing in for the American West), the panoramic cinematography is stunning, while it's great to see the backdrops are not just mountainous desert scapes, this journey goes through forestry as well. Cast are on prime form, Fassbender seems to be a given these days and it's hoped he will do a Western again, and McPhee plays off of him with genuine conviction. Then there's Mendelsohn, who has to be one of the finest Australian character actors working today, he's perfectly cast here, so his fans know exactly what they will be getting. The poster art is hugely frustrating, showing Caren Pistorius with a big beaming smile on her face, that is very much a bum steer. You would be wise to take more note of the faces of Messrs McPhee, Fassbender and Mendelsohn on that poster, for their facial portraits are more in keeping with this cracker-jack Western. 9/10
Reno
Sep 14, 2015 · via TMDB
> Going across the Atlantic to find the lost love. A western movie set in the 1870 United States, but entirely shot in the New Zealand. The story of a 16 year old boy, Jay, from Scotland embarks a journey in the New World in search of his love, Rose. Later a bounty hunter joins him and makes sure his safe travel. Technically, it was a road movie, but reveals the plot from the other angles as well in the spare times like during camping at the nights. The narration was too slow and the story was ordinary, but it was enough for me to get engaged. If you wait until the final scene, especially till you figure out the puzzle of the romance theme, you may like it better. The end was so good, just like what a western movie fan looking for, a gunfight. Interestingly, that was not to be heroic, except all the earlier disasters pushed for the finale and the post finale. It is rated R, because it is so brutal in some way and for being faithful to the genre. It might not be a dream debut for the director like the big cast, the high budget and a great commercial success, but giving a satisfying movie in a simple way was his accomplishment in his first attempt. Kodi Smith-McPhee is almost 20 and he's yet to play his independent and powerful enough character that will bring acknowledgement. It was a close one, the narration started like it was his, and he was everywhere in the movie. Then going further, especially when it nears the end, he was kind of fading. But he was awesome, along with Michael Fassbender. Not a must see, as well as not refusable if you get a chance to see it. 7.5/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
FlixFling
Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
FlixFling
Michael Fassbender
Silas
Kodi Smit-McPhee
Jay Cavendish
Ben Mendelsohn
Payne
Caren Pistorius
Rose Ross
Rory McCann
John Ross
Brooke Williams
Maria
Alex Macqueen
Rupert Cavendish
Kalani Queypo
Kotori
Madeleine Sami
Marimacho
Tawanda Manyimo
Congolese Singer
David T. Lim
Tattoo Man
Jeffrey Thomas
Union Officer
Michael Whalley
The Kid
Brian Sergent
Payote Joe
Edwin Wright
Victor the Hawk
Ken Blackburn
Josh McKenzie
Karl Willetts
Johan
Stuart Martin
Callum
Stuart Bowman
Gordon Shaw
Andy McPhee
Burly Man
Andrew Robertt
Werner
Aaron McGregor
Bill Allson
Kieran Charnock
Young Soldier
Bryan Michael Mills
The Minstrel
Robbie Ryan
Director of Photography
John Maclean
Director
Patrick Malone
Digital Intermediate
Kahleen Crawford
Casting
Nikki Barrett
Casting
Michael Fassbender
Executive Producer
Emile Sherman
Producer
Iain Canning
Producer
Bryan Michael Mills
Original Music Composer
Jed Kurzel
Original Music Composer
Perry Costello
Special Effects Supervisor
John Maclean
Writer
You Are Here
Isaac Littlefeathers
Death of a Salesman: A DELTARUNE Short FIlm
Shouting Secrets
Phantasie
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
GoodFellas
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Se7en
Steel Spirit
Gladiator
Mommy
Memento
Scarface
Persona
Das Boot
For a Few Dollars More
The Forest of Freedom
Bitter Memories
Blade Runner
Mirror
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Edward Scissorhands
The Warriors
The Terminator
Mississippi Burning
Apocalypto
The Others
Twelve Monkeys
Stagecoach
The Dirty Dozen
Laura
The Fifth Element
A Few Good Men
Ghost Diver
Daphne Laureola
Our Hospitality
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
American Me
Sicario
Distant Lights
Spellbound
No Mercy
Legends of the Fall
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Cyrano de Bergerac
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Chappa Kurishu
Cape Fear
On Body and Soul
Blood Simple
The Commitments
Zatoichi
Bloody Sunday
Take My Eyes
Breakfast on Pluto
The Room
A History of Violence
Marnie
Murder at the Gallop
Straw Dogs
Last Life in the Universe
Seabiscuit
Almost Human
Companion
Caché
My Own Private Idaho
Inland Empire
Death Rides a Horse
Young
Die Hard 2
Michael Collins
Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner
Salvador (Puig Antich)
Cube
Eden Lake
Hot Road
Carne
Vanilla Sky
Con Air
Dangerous Moonlight
Four Weddings and a Funeral
The Devil's Rejects
Team America: World Police
Short Sharp Shock
Comanche Station
Will Penny
Dead Space: Downfall
Showdown at Boot Hill
Hitpig!
The 13th Warrior
The Bikeriders
Crank
That's My Man
Live Free or Die Hard
The Wonder
Wilde
The Salton Sea
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Hanna
Shoot 'Em Up
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Killer Joe
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A
Seraphim Falls
The Jackal
Dead End
Duel at Diablo
Game of Death
Sommersby
The Living and the Dead
Secret Defense
Black Spurs
A View to a Kill
Firestarter
Killing Zoe
Monster-in-Law
Fever Pitch
Christmas in the Clouds
Frontier(s)
Our Day Will Come
Mojin: The Lost Legend
Badland
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Hitman
The Breach
What I Did for Love
White Rabbit
7 Virgins
The Baxter
Keane
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
Shaft
The Boys & Girl from County Clare
Burning Man
La cárcel de Cananea
The Greening of Whitney Brown
Riverdance: The Animated Adventure
The Penthouse
The Night of the Grizzly
American Outlaws
Noise
Counterparts
Summer to Winter
My Father, Die
Brute
Fumiko's Confession
Cube Zero
When the Legends Die
The Valdez Horses
Paul and Michelle
Tortured
A Serbian Film
The Good Night
Frazier Park Recut
Run, Simon, Run
Pig
Bangkok Dangerous
Jessi's Girls
The Pool
Summer
Whitestar
Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor
Human Zoo
Bullet Head
I Demand Payment
Baby Shark
Dert Bende
The Undressing
Bandits of the Badlands
Cocaine Cowboys
Under Still Waters
Wildfire
Beautiful Alexander
Gunfighter
Suspectives
Fire on the Ridge
Just One More
Buquí
Ecos de Familia
Without Expectations
Distant Camera
Return to Your Dreams
The Hateful Eight
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
High Plains Drifter
Dead Man
True Grit
Hell or High Water
Hostiles
Jubal
Let Him Go
Rust
Young Guns
The Warrior's Way
The Quick and the Dead
The Magnificent Seven
The Quick and the Dead
High Ground
El Gringo
The Unholy Trinity
Hannie Caulder
Surrounded
Return of the Seven
In a Valley of Violence
The Mountain Men
Butcher's Crossing
Jane Got a Gun
The Last Manhunt
Dead for a Dollar
Jan 24, 2015
Sundance Film Festival
Mar 2, 2015
Cinequest Film Festival
Apr 16, 2015
May 15, 2015
