Slow West
Go! Sometimes slow is satisfying.
Classic western with modern hues.
Upon seeing the title of Slow West, you could be excused for thinking that it is an ambitious effort to influence the name of Kimye's forthcoming second child. Or a self-directed, self-written, self-starring (self-aggrandising) documentary by Kanye West that is filmed at half speed, just because he feels like it. (Is it just me or does that sound really interesting? OK, just me). Thankfully, neither of these guesses is accurate. Instead the “West” of the title is of the American Wild variety, and “Slow” is the ambling pace at which it is traversed. It is an American Western – a setting romanticised in film even more so than either the rose-tinted heroics of the Second World War, or the rosy-cheeked era of women in bonnets heading to the front lines of Georgian marital politics.
The film follows the journey of naive Scottish immigrant, Jay Cavendish (played by Aussie actor Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Road), on his horseback journey across the plains of America to find his beloved fellow-Scot, Rose. He is accompanied by a grizzly bounty hunter named Silas, (played by Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave) who helps Jay navigate the many obstacles of geography and humanity in his path.
At its core, Slow West is a buddy movie - two men of fundamentally differing moods and motivations evolving together in the pursuit of some singular purpose. Fassbender easily moonwalks his role as a brooding gunslinger; shorn of joy by cynicism at the austerity of his time and his chosen path in life. In contrast, Jay's wide-eyed, well-to-do (and reasonably well-accented) Scot brings gentle innocence and vigorous hope that reflects both our and his romanticisation of 19th Century America. The cynic vs the romantic – like stirring sweet olive oil and bitter vinegar, Slow West explores the definitive conflict between the soft and hard parts within the character of every man.
At its core, Slow West is a buddy movie - two men of fundamentally differing moods and motivations evolving together in the pursuit of some singular purpose. Fassbender easily moonwalks his role as a brooding gunslinger; shorn of joy by cynicism at the austerity of his time and his chosen path in life. In contrast, Jay's wide-eyed, well-to-do (and reasonably well-accented) Scot brings gentle innocence and vigorous hope that reflects both our and his romanticisation of 19th Century America. The cynic vs the romantic – like stirring sweet olive oil and bitter vinegar, Slow West explores the definitive conflict between the soft and hard parts within the character of every man.
Like a good Sheriff, Scottish-musician-turned-Director John Maclean (not the cop from Die Hard) does justice to the two competing textures with an expansive cinematography and narrative simplicity that makes each scene look either like a dreamy pastel masterpiece or a trippy frame of modern photography. Yes, the film is indeed slow (and very occasionally threatens to drag) but it is comfortably short (84 minutes) and simmers warmly with moments of spry comedy until its inevitable, grandstanding climax. The acting follows suit, with the small ensemble performing like an acapella group – each individual player unhurriedly harmonising with the others, yet adding their own sparkle when called upon for a solo.
While Slow West very much chases the heart of Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood's The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, it plays to its own modern, charming beat; which at times swings between jovial Wes Andersonian playfulness (Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom) and dark Coen Brotherly irony (Inside Llewyn Davis, Fargo). Although it might not have the intensity or jeopardy of Leone's classic, it makes for patiently gratifying viewing.
So go if you are a romantic or a cynic (i.e. a human being). It's perhaps not a big Friday night film and it moves very steadily, but Slow West is worth the wait.
While Slow West very much chases the heart of Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood's The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, it plays to its own modern, charming beat; which at times swings between jovial Wes Andersonian playfulness (Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom) and dark Coen Brotherly irony (Inside Llewyn Davis, Fargo). Although it might not have the intensity or jeopardy of Leone's classic, it makes for patiently gratifying viewing.
So go if you are a romantic or a cynic (i.e. a human being). It's perhaps not a big Friday night film and it moves very steadily, but Slow West is worth the wait.
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