Day 10 @ MSPIFF 2015: 'Slow West' Reviewed
Perhaps if one mixed the cinematic vision of the Coen brothers with the Rocky Mountain vistas and greasy leather hats of Red Dead Redemption, the result would be something like John Maclean's incredibly stylish and surprisingly funny Slow West.
The Scottish writer/director's first feature is part love story, part coming-of-age tale that examines the collision of immigrant cultures on the plains and mountains of America's lawless frontier. The story centers on the romantic adventure of 16-year-old Scottish aristocrat Jay (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as he journeys through Colorado in search of a peasant girl he loves and who fled his homeland.
Almost immediately, the teenage Romeo finds himself in need of serious help when a group of Native-American-hunting cops find him in the woods and aren't too fond of his accent. Luckily, the rugged frontiersman Silas (Michael Fassbender) puts some bullets into skulls, and the boy is saved. The quiet gunslinger then takes the lovelorn aristocrat under his wing, but Silas is no saint: There's a bounty on Jay's beloved, and Silas thinks the boy can lead him to her.
Yet as the two journey through purple mountain majesties and beneath dreamsicle skies, they grow to be a team, with something of a mentor-disciple dynamic. Jay's idealistic romanticism contrasts with Silas' pessimism to tender and humorous effect as the duo encounter several groups of immigrants in various states of desperation. Gunfights erupt out of nowhere with almost Tarantino-like violence, and sometimes there's real moral problems left over when the gunsmoke clears.
While Slow West has some moral weight, Maclean seems much more interested in having fun with his western. The tone, for instance, will switch from tragic to absurd after a single well-placed gag. As a result, the film isn't a romance at all. Instead, it's an exercise in style, with stunning beauty, epic gunfights and laughs that'll stick in your memory like a spur.
Slow West is playing at 9:50 p.m.
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Other Highlights For Saturday, April 18
Almost There (Aaron Wickenden and Dan Rybicky, USA) When two Chicago filmmakers set up a gallery exhibit for an old, eccentric artist living in poverty, they suddenly find themselves in trouble when the gallery is a success and the man's past comes to light. The question is: Can the artist find redemption? (1:00)
Victoria (Sebastian Schipper, Germany) Shot in single take, this gorgeous, free-flowing thriller follows a Spanish girl as she meets up with a group of ruffians at a club, sets off on a nocturnal adventure through "the real Berlin," and ends up getting involved in a bloody, intense bank robbery. (5:30)
Panel: Women And Film Filmmakers and writers make up the 6-person panel slated to discuss what it means to be a woman in film and what the future holds. The discussion is taking place at Pracna on Main, which is just a stone's throw away from the St. Anthony Main Theatre. The talk will cover the history of women in film, the current state of affairs and what the future might bring. (2:00)
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For the festival schedule, and a complete listing of all the movies being shown, click here. Ticket information is available here.
Throughout the entirety of the 2015 Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, WCCO.com will be spotlighting one notable movie each day, along with other notable screenings. To see WCCO.com's complete coverage on the MSPIFF, click here.
