The beautifulest film in the West

Rating: 9/10 (31 May 2008)

First off, nothing I write here will be considered a spoiler, as the film does this itself. Unusually, even the title sums up the entire film, and the narration explains the forthcoming actions before they happen. So why bother with a film you know what's going to happen in? The Devil is in the details. The title does not convey the arc of Robert Ford's naive attempts to impress his childhood hero that sour into betrayal. The narration cannot show the strength of acting ability, emotions, tensions or sumptuous cinematography present in every scene. It's ponderous, certainly, but majestic and inexorable with it. The running time seems to melt away as the viewer is absorbed into the world of the charismatic but unstable outlaw and the ambivalent teenager trying to connect with him, until before you know it the arc has reached the conclusion of the stories.
The cinematography really does merit special mention, it's no surprise the amount of awards this film has garnered. The landscapes are lush, the scenes are all beautiful and authentic, and there is such an eye for art that it will take your breath away. Possibly the most stunning is the arrival of the train near the beginning of the film, it's one of the finest shots that I've seen in the past year. It's a big film, it's a worthy film, but it's haunting and brilliantly realised, one that I'd hesitate without question to anyone willing to spend their time on it.