The Sisters Brothers – United States/France/Spain/Romania/Belgium – 2018 – Western, Drama
Directed by: Jacques Audiard
Written by: Jacques Audiard; Thomas Bidegain
Main Players: John C. Reilly; Joaquin Phoenix; Jake Gyllenhaal; Riz Ahmed; Rutger Hauer; Carol Kane
It is 1851 and the Pacific Northwest. Working for The Commodore in Oregon City, brothers Eli (Reilly) and Charlie (Phoenix) Sisters collect bounties on anyone who has “victimized” their rich work provider. After collecting their most recent bounties, the pair gets a new job to find a man down south named Hermann Kermit Warm (Ahmed).
The Sisters Brothers are to meet with another of The Commodore’s hires, one John Morris (Gyllenhaal), who is a private investigator whom has tracked Warm’s position and found him on his way to California. Warm and Morris travel for a while, however then some motivations are revealed, and plot lines multiply.
While the dangerous drunk Charlie and the elder and somewhat more composed Eli make their way south to find the pair of men, they run into plenty of obstacles to tackle, as well as internal demons to face. Will the brothers maintain their composure?
As Morris and Warm continue to travel, how will their relationship evolve? Will The Commodore get what he wants and Warm’s bounty collected, or will a chemical formula change the game for everyone?
This film is based on a book of the same name, and does cover plenty of ground in its tale. It is a slower-paced tale, but is rarely boring despite its deliberate presentation. The acting is top notch, and the characters are well-realized. If you want a more dramatic and realistic presentation of the wild west, this is a good choice
See This If You Liked:
True Grit (1969; 2010); Hostiles; The Ballad of Buster Scruggs; Open Range; Unforgiven; Slow West; 3:10 to Yuma (1957; 2007); The Searchers (1956); Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una Volta il West); Old Henry; The Gunfighter (1950)
Score:
7.0