I wasn't expecting much when I bought this DVD for $4. The cover showed one of those forgettable everybody-stare-at-the-camera-and-try-to-look-cool" images, and the title itself makes it seem like a forgettable pulp novel. "The Claim". Wooooo. The only reason I bought it was because I'm a fan of Natassja Kinski.
Well, Natassja didn't really have a leading role; instead the film focused mostly on Peter Mullan as Mr. Dillon, the wealthy, powerful owner of "Kingdom Come", a small but promising town at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Although there are several interesting subplots, the story is about him, and Mullan delivers an excellent performance. He is neither good nor evil but a believable human character who is caught up in his ambition.
...which leads me to the title of my review. I highly recommend you read the short poem "Ozymandias" by Percy Shelley before watching this film. The film itself uses it briefly in the beginning where a stage performer recites parts of it to an audience. This immediately piqued my interest, since Ozy is one of my favourite poems. As the story progressed, I realized that this injection was not trivial; the film is essentially built on the story of Ozymandias, and once you realize that, you'll be able to focus on the main theme.
As I said, there are several sub-themes that are interwoven: Milla Jovovich plays a great role of a singer who's not the "marrying type" (and by the way, she sings some great Portugese songs). Wes Bentley plays a young official for the railroad, sort of a play-by-the-rules boyscout type who is at odds with the subjective rules of the old west. Natassja is a woman slowly dying of consumption and haunted by a bitter past. Sarah Polley is her daughter, innocent and oblivious but learning quickly. They all deliver great performances with my only criticism being their accents which are a little too modern, but if you can overlook that, there's no problem.
The director used some unusual techniques which caught my attention. For one thing, when switching to dream sequences, he didn't do the stereotypical sepia tint and harp plucking to announce "hey we're going to a dream sequence". It may confuse you at first, but it keeps you on your toes.
This film has a very epic feel to it, perhaps like Sergio Leone's classic "Once Upon a Time in the West", and at just under 2 hours, the length and pacing seem right. But somehow I didn't quite get as much character development as I would've wanted. I suppose that's plain math... if we have 5 main characters, that gives each one only 24 minutes. Less if you consider that the main focus is on Mullan. But perhaps upon repeated viewings, you can get more of a story on each of them.
One other criticism I have is that the musical score wasn't very dynamic. It seemed to repeat the same 2 sweeping chords over & over. Then silence. Then back to the same 2 chords. Repeat. But this is a minor criticism, and I doubt you would've even noticed it had I not said anything. Oopsie, sorry bout that. But like I said earlier, Milla's singing provides enough to impress us musically.
Overall, it's a good film and a great interpretation of Ozymandias in the Old West (again I urge you to read the poem so you may find the same beauty in the film as I did). Also if you have a Blockbuster near you, check out the used pile where you can find this for $4. Definitely worth the price.
Well, Natassja didn't really have a leading role; instead the film focused mostly on Peter Mullan as Mr. Dillon, the wealthy, powerful owner of "Kingdom Come", a small but promising town at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Although there are several interesting subplots, the story is about him, and Mullan delivers an excellent performance. He is neither good nor evil but a believable human character who is caught up in his ambition.
...which leads me to the title of my review. I highly recommend you read the short poem "Ozymandias" by Percy Shelley before watching this film. The film itself uses it briefly in the beginning where a stage performer recites parts of it to an audience. This immediately piqued my interest, since Ozy is one of my favourite poems. As the story progressed, I realized that this injection was not trivial; the film is essentially built on the story of Ozymandias, and once you realize that, you'll be able to focus on the main theme.
As I said, there are several sub-themes that are interwoven: Milla Jovovich plays a great role of a singer who's not the "marrying type" (and by the way, she sings some great Portugese songs). Wes Bentley plays a young official for the railroad, sort of a play-by-the-rules boyscout type who is at odds with the subjective rules of the old west. Natassja is a woman slowly dying of consumption and haunted by a bitter past. Sarah Polley is her daughter, innocent and oblivious but learning quickly. They all deliver great performances with my only criticism being their accents which are a little too modern, but if you can overlook that, there's no problem.
The director used some unusual techniques which caught my attention. For one thing, when switching to dream sequences, he didn't do the stereotypical sepia tint and harp plucking to announce "hey we're going to a dream sequence". It may confuse you at first, but it keeps you on your toes.
This film has a very epic feel to it, perhaps like Sergio Leone's classic "Once Upon a Time in the West", and at just under 2 hours, the length and pacing seem right. But somehow I didn't quite get as much character development as I would've wanted. I suppose that's plain math... if we have 5 main characters, that gives each one only 24 minutes. Less if you consider that the main focus is on Mullan. But perhaps upon repeated viewings, you can get more of a story on each of them.
One other criticism I have is that the musical score wasn't very dynamic. It seemed to repeat the same 2 sweeping chords over & over. Then silence. Then back to the same 2 chords. Repeat. But this is a minor criticism, and I doubt you would've even noticed it had I not said anything. Oopsie, sorry bout that. But like I said earlier, Milla's singing provides enough to impress us musically.
Overall, it's a good film and a great interpretation of Ozymandias in the Old West (again I urge you to read the poem so you may find the same beauty in the film as I did). Also if you have a Blockbuster near you, check out the used pile where you can find this for $4. Definitely worth the price.