User Reviews

I have seen all of the shorts that this young director has made and am glad to see him getting some recognition here on IMDb. There is not a doubt in my mind that in the years to come he'll be one of the great directors in the film industry. His latest project, "Dead West" demonstrates his knack for storytelling, aptitude for visual effects and techniques, and all-around rock-solid direction on a very effective 30 minute short.

The short follows the story of a woman who wanders, lost into an odd town she discovers after being separated from her horse. Upon entering the town she meets up with the town's 6 or so inhabitants who are all holed up in one building as they are faced with a man whose purpose and agenda are not immediately clear, to say the least.

The film, for being shot on such a small budget, was magnificent. The direction, as well as the cinematography looked far beyond what the budget would make believe to be possible, the special effects were surprisingly convincing, and the acting was more than adequate. Add a great tone, setting, and overall eerie feel and you've got a great short by a great upcoming director.

While I imagine getting a look at this outside of the festivals it was shown at would be very difficult, anyone with the opportunity to see this will certainly find their 30 minutes well spent.

Wow. What can I say about this film? For the budget and the time frame, Eli Sasitch has really outdone himself with this one. I have tried to wee everything he has done, and while his talent was evident from day one, this film represents a milestone insofar as it is complete. I could easily picture Showtime or similar picking this up.

The directing was the ace of spades. The cast were the king through ten of spades. There are no name actors here, although the girl who plays the lead - Amanda Fulks - is clearly ready for any feature length role as an important supporting character (maybe not quite ready for an outright lead, but remember, we're talking about her first film here, and she was absolutely believable from minute one to the finish.

Jan Knightey has appeared in another Eli Sasitch production, but in truth that film did not compare to this in any significant way other than to chart Jan'progress as an actor. Clearly he is very capable.

The other cowboy's were fine, right down to the child, who, as a result of Sasitch's expert direction, gave a credible performance.

One mystery is the character of Chronos, played by a little known actor Rook Overman. Not sure if his approach worked for me. However, my girlfriend thought he was brilliant and compared him to a scarier Jan Michael Vincent mixed with a younger Jack Nicholson. I dunno if I agree, and I have some insight there which I will keep to myself. What I will concede is that yes, Rook's approach was, um...interesting, and for whatever reason, whenever he was in the scene that's where my attention was focused. So good or bad, he was at least watchable and very entertaining.

All in all, this film is really a testimonial to the one talent on set that superseded everyone else by head and shoulders; Eli Sasitch's directing.