7/10

A bounty hunter helps a boy’s quest for his long lost love across the dangerous shoot em up lifestyle of the “Slow West”. At the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas (Michael Fassbender), a mysterious traveler, and the two men are hotly pursued by a string of outlaws in seach of the young woman and the $2000 bounty that accompanies her. “Slow West” is Director/Writer John Maclean’s first dive into the full length feature world, and his innagural effort shows a lot of promise visually for fans of the Western genre. Among the many things to be appreciated about this film, is the framing and camera work that presents the west in a polarizing image. Many of the colors and shading used in the cinematography are carefully chosen, and give the movie a kind of stage setting with dreamy landscapes. This is appropriate with Fassbender narrating the story as a tale in lifetimes past. There are many creative shots of our two protagonists close to the camera with the men who pursure them just over their shoulders. Before Jay or Silas can realize it, the audience knows what’s coming, and that always builds for a suspenseful appetizer before the bullet ridden main course of the third act. The film is paced very slow, but with a run time of 82 minutes it never feels like it drags into negative territory to the film. In fact, i praised Maclean’s commitment for a lack of subplot, as the journey for the girl should be the main focus here. It all feels like a nineteenth century “Smokin Aces” feel, and it’s a fun ride to take. It’s also quite obvious that Maclean is influenced by Tarrantino in his way of shooting action. There is no score to accompany the madness and it’s because of this that the sound of the guns left me immersed in the action to the point of being involved in the action. The second act is kind of lackluster with a lack of backstory to accompany our characters. I did appreciate the attempt to include some flashbacks with the two romantics, but i never felt like i learned anything more despite the two scenes. Despite this handicap, the cast makes the most out of their performances. Fassbender delivers on a vigilante torn to fight back against his former employers. Michael has always been a very underrated actor to me, and the Western genre is perfect for an actor who can do so much with a cold stare. Smit-Mcphee stepped his intensity since the last effort i saw him in, 2006’s “Let The Right One In”. He’s inexperienced in this world, and doesn’t realize the horrors that lie the further they head West. We spend the most time with Kodi, and it’s because of this that his brave transformation is the first thing we notice the deeper we journey into the story. As i mentioned before, Maclean has a real vision for the captivating world he encapsules. in “Slow West” he shows that love has no place in such a territory, while also declaring that it might be the only thing worth fighting for. A contradiction that makes this film a fairy tale for adults.