Clocking in at just 84 minutes, this neo- Western about a young Scottish boy trekking the great outback of 1870s America in search of his lost love is petite but eventful and tonally rich. Natural hazards and the human treachery of the untamed frontiers come alive with sprinkles of unexpected comic relief under Maclean’s poised yet ferociously precise direction. Tremendous cinematography captures the wonders and mysticism of an open country. Contained but expertly executed, down to that blood-splattered finale.
Slow West | D: John Maclean (UK 2015) with Michael Fass bender, Kodi Smit-McPhee . Starts Jul 30.
Originally published in issue #140, July/August 2015.