Review of Slow West (2015) by Foxgrove — 26 Jun 2015

The slow in the title is the perfect adjective for this arty western about a love struck boy and a bounty hunter who become companions whilst searching for the same girl, although for entirely different reasons. The film’s destination, however, becomes almost irrelevant as the lack of any real dramatic incident leaves one completely indifferent to where events are heading.

Despite a manageable running time this journey becomes something of an endurance test that even the talents of Michael Fassbender and Ben Mendelsohn can do nothing to enliven. What little back story there is doesn’t answer questions like why the girl is an outlaw; how the boy knew how to find her, and how he got from Scotland to America considering his naiveté and lack of funds. A few moments do manage to stir one to attention and the beautiful New Zealand locations and a haunting score provide some compensation. Also, as the boy, Kodi Smit-McPhee gives a likeable and sympathetic performance. Unfortunately, though, these positives aside the film just isn’t either different enough or interesting enough to be memorable.