Review of Slow West (2015) by Ydnar4 — 08 Jul 2015

Slow West is written and directed by first timer John Maclean and stars Kodi Smit-McPhee and Michael Fassbender. Fassbender also had some responsibility behind the camera as the executive producer. The film fits into the western genre and it revolves around a 16 year old boy named Jay Cavendish (played by Smit-McPhee) who has travelled from Scotland to America in search of the girl he loves.

During his search he meets Silias, (played by Fassbender) an outlaw to choses to accompany Jay as a guide, but Jay is unaware that his girl and her father are both wanted for a reward of $2000. I would not even bother with this film if you are not a fan of westerns to begin with.

This film is a real slow burn despite only running for 84 minutes. We mostly follow the main characters through their quest which is often just walking through unknown territory on horses. The ending is really what you should be watching this film for as the action really begins but even then the action is not really that intense after all the build up.

It seems like nothing more than shooting back and forth over and over again. I really bought Fassbender as an outlaw though and I thought he was great and you are really drawn to him as a character because he just seems so suited for the part, but he does take a back seat to Smit-McPhee who is still good but not as strong.

I can't really say I'm a western fan but I think that if you are you will get an enjoyment out of Slow West. I think the film is fairly well written and well acted but it is too slow and anticlimactic for me to really be impressed.