This is a solid western start-to-finish.
James Mangold delivers an intense and well-paced tale with a talented cast, and though the story doesn't reinvent the genre (or break out of any tropes) it delivers the story beats well, with excellent payoffs and a grittiness powered by the acting of an A-list class.
Christian Bale and Russel Crowe are the show-stealers as Dan Evans and Ben Wade respectively. Two men that are on polar opposites of the morality spectrum, yet are brought together by the film's circumstance and discover there may be more to each other than they initially thought.
The movie is good throughout, with little downtime and plenty of character work, action, set pieces, and moments for the actors to shine. This isn't a film that will have you yawning or waiting for the next big action scene. Mangold makes sure of that.
But he also allows the characters to breathe, and we get a glimpse into the minds of someone like Ben Wade. What drives him. What makes him tick.
It's an easy recommend, and that comes from someone who isn't a huge western fan.
James Mangold delivers an intense and well-paced tale with a talented cast, and though the story doesn't reinvent the genre (or break out of any tropes) it delivers the story beats well, with excellent payoffs and a grittiness powered by the acting of an A-list class.
Christian Bale and Russel Crowe are the show-stealers as Dan Evans and Ben Wade respectively. Two men that are on polar opposites of the morality spectrum, yet are brought together by the film's circumstance and discover there may be more to each other than they initially thought.
The movie is good throughout, with little downtime and plenty of character work, action, set pieces, and moments for the actors to shine. This isn't a film that will have you yawning or waiting for the next big action scene. Mangold makes sure of that.
But he also allows the characters to breathe, and we get a glimpse into the minds of someone like Ben Wade. What drives him. What makes him tick.
It's an easy recommend, and that comes from someone who isn't a huge western fan.