At a time back in the 1940's, 50's and even 60's Hollywood produced a plethora of westerns. Considering the fact they were not as costly to make as with other genres and the public simply loved them, there was a handsome profit made for the day. But then, when visual effects came into vogue thanks to films like "Star Wars", they gradually went into obscurity. As our society has gotten tougher, the newer westerns have matched the times with gritty westerns like "Unforgiven" '92, the recent "Hostiles" '17 and the like. Now we have yet another gritty western to add to that list in the form of "The Sisters Brothers".
This story is a reimagining of the cinematic Western as a dangerous, witty, and emotionally cathartic exploration of what it means to be a man. It is 1851, and Charlie and Eli Sisters (Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly) are both assassins, boys grown to men in a savage and hostile world. The blood on their hands: that of criminals, that of innocents...and they know no state of existence other than being gunmen. The older of the two, introspective Eli (Reilly) rides hard with his younger sibling yet dares to dream of a normal life. The younger of the two, hard-drinking, volatile Charlie (Phoenix) has taken charge with gusto as lead man on the duo's assignments from their boss, The Commodore (Rutger Hauer). Each increasingly questions, and quibbles with the others' methods, The Sisters brothers find themselves on a journey through the Northwest searching for a scientist with an odd chemical solution of finding gold, one Hermann Kermit Warm (Riz Ahmed) and an associate, John Morris (Jake Gyllenhaal). Through their journey, it brings the Sisters brothers to the mountains of Oregon and to a dangerous brothel in the small town of Mayfield, eventually the Gold Rush land of California--a trek that will test the deadly family ties that bind. But, can it also be the path to rediscovering what remains of their humanity?
Others to round out the cast are Rebecca Root as Mayfield, Alison Tolman as Girl in Mayfield Saloon, Carol Kane as Mrs. Sisters, Charlie and Eli's mother and Patrice Cossoneau as Blount.
This was grittily and intensely directed by Jacques Audiard ("See How They Fall" '94, "A Self-Made Hero" '96, "Read My Lips" '01, "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" '05, "A Prophet" '09, "Rust and Bone" '12, "Dheepan" '15) plus video shorts. I believe what makes the overhaul of these westerns so popular is that they seem more realistic as compared to their older western counterparts. The grit and intensity in which the directors extract out of their actors gives the audience a sense that they could be watching an historical event, such as with this story. Even the guns are more 'musket' like in that they are loud with smoke with a blast sound to them--this just adds to the realism. The interesting aspect of this is that this is a quintessential American western story directed by a French director of which he filmed it with accuracy and aplomb. It was written well by veterans Audiard and Thomas Bidegain in that, again, an incredible American story written with accuracy by one of the writers being French. Of course, the other writer, Bidegain, isn't French, but this film seemed amazingly American. Both of these writers have a ton of experience to their credit so it is no surprise that the writing was delineated well. The only one flaw to this, albeit small, is that it was a bit long-in-the-tooth--it could've been cut approximately 5-10 minutes and still had the impact it had, otherwise it was spot on perfect. This truly shows the audience how grueling our western past was and leaves us wondering how they made it through life. Both Reilly and Phoenix were brilliant in their roles as the Sisters brothers and their chemistry, although polar opposite in character, conveyed a true connection as a family.
Anyone who likes westerns will be in western heaven with all the grit, intensity and hardship that would make any fan squeamish. But even if westerns don't necessarily do it for you, the acting, directing and writing will certainly make up for a genre that may not be your favorite. This was as entertaining of a story as it was crafted with expertise. Enjoy! I know I did.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: R 122mins.
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