my notes

Rating: 8/10 (26 June 2019)

AMAZING. This is what I consider to be art. This movie might have the best cinematography I've ever seen, and some of the most beautiful shots I've ever laid eyes on. I think I could have taken a screenshot about 500 times during the movie and framed it, no exaggeration. And the directing stood out to me so much in this movie, I kept wondering who made this? there were so many times where a scene had nothing happening in it and yet I was still in awe of the direction and cinematography. and you have the acting, two absolutely outstanding performances by two of my all-time favorite actors.
other than that, this was one of the most intense and real-feeling movies I've ever watched. there were so many scenes where I was on the edge of my seat, or squirming, or clenching my fists. gut-wrenching is a good description. and it wasn't just that it was overly violent, I've seen much worse (ie Hostel). but the fact that I was actually feeling what they were feeling shows how well those scenes were done.
I also thought they did a great job with using almost no music in certain scenes which made it feel much more real. And that's saying a lot since I absolutely love when a great song is used to make an awesome scene more intense. and there were many times when this didn't feel like a movie at all.
another thing that made it feel real was how some of the big events started with no warning or build-up. for example, the bear attacks Glass immediately after we first notice it hiding behind the bushes. in regular movies, we would first notice it, then it would zoom in on his face, then the bear would stand up and roar, and music would start playing, then the bear would attack. the way it was done in this movie just hit you hard and fast.
another example is during the final battle when glass chops off two of Fitzgerald's fingers. it was so quick. I feel like in regular movies he would've chopped them, then they would zoom in on the hand and show his chopped fingers, then show him holding his hand in front of his face, screaming.
I like how they not only showed but made you feel how hard life must've been back then in the lawless land of the west.
downsides, it could have been shorter, and I thought some of the imagery in the dreams didn't really pan out to anything tangible. I thought they would play more of a role in telling the story.
Also, I don't really consider this a downside , but the story really was nothing special overall. but this shows how you can take a regular story and make it amazing with great acting, directing, and cinematography (2 viewings)

SPOILERS

the opening scene, the bear scene, and the final battle were three of the most intense and amazing scenes I've watched. and there were many other smaller moments that were jaw-dropping, like when he fell off the cliff on a horse. there were also a few long shots that look like they were done in one take, similar to what he did in Birdman. and the bear scene looks so real that it makes me question all past CGI scenes I've watched and makes me wonder if they actually looked as real as this