Slow West

A24 | Release Date: May 15, 2015

6.6	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 118 Ratings

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HorseshoeLuckMay 15, 2015

Unfortunately the title of the film is accurate in embodying the essence of this film, Slow West moves just a little to slow and never really hits its stride. I don't mind a slow film as long as there is interesting dialogue or interestingUnfortunately the title of the film is accurate in embodying the essence of this film, Slow West moves just a little to slow and never really hits its stride. I don't mind a slow film as long as there is interesting dialogue or interesting characters but this film lacked both. I will say that it was very well shot and I think writer/director John Maclean shows potential and I'm looking forward to his next effort.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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oDjentoJul 9, 2015

Slow West is an interesting debut from John Maclean, showcasing he has an eye for framing and painting a colourful motion picture, but does so weakly. There are many problems with this film however it is not a bad film but flawed.
Firstly,Slow West is an interesting debut from John Maclean, showcasing he has an eye for framing and painting a colourful motion picture, but does so weakly. There are many problems with this film however it is not a bad film but flawed.
Firstly, the film felt unfinished. It is a short film of about 84 minutes which therefore means it rushes in its writing and so the characters don’t get time to fully develop as characters. They can seem fairly vapid at times, and because of this the chemistry between Fassbender and Smit-McPhee does not feel genuine. It seems to rush over our heads.
However, even though the characters and certain scenes may not develop properly enough, the plot still remains interesting enough to see into fruition and does not bore. It starts of pretty standardly with a plot about a boy (Smit-McPhee) travelling the desert to find his love and running into a drifter (Fassbender) who wants to escort him. The plot becomes more interesting when you find out the motives of said drifter and realise the journey to the boys love is more of a race against the clock.
Now as the movie plays you’ll notice one thing about this western; it is a very colourful and pretty western, archetypal from our typical blandly colour schemed dusty baron wasteland. Maclean has made here one of the most visually pleasing westerns out there, with his choice of filming in New Zealand being an excellent choice. It really does make this film just gorgeous and certain frames are definitely screensaver material. This is where Maclean shows he has an eye for the big screen.
One thing I did notice about this film though is that it seemed to have two kinds of segments to it. The first segment seemed to be quietly dismal and brooding in a sense, which contrasted in a sense with the more blackly comical second segment. Because of this, the film feels slightly disjointed going from the first half to the second half. However, both looked fine and were directed well but still felt in mild conflict with each other.
Finally the ending (no spoilers). The ending is filled with tragedy and ends quite bitter sweetly which is unsatisfying in a way. Albeit this, due to its bitter sweetness and non-clichéd ending it – in a sense - paradoxically also satisfies. It’s probably quite a subjective ending to most.
Overall Maclean debuts with a strong visual film that sadly has not been fully realised. Due to his visual eye though Maclean is a director to be on the look-out for in the near future.
Also, on a side note, did anyone else notice that the scene where Fassbender was introduced the leaves on the trees changed from orange the green or vice versa? I swear they did but so far no one else believes me and I’m starting to doubt whether it really did happen. Please clear this up for me as I may be going crazy.
6.5/10… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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hotfromcauldronMay 17, 2015

John MacClean’s film debut - Slow West - shows he’s heading in the right direction.
Within the first few frames there is an odd coupling of Jay and Silas , a boy and a man, a dreamer and a survivor, and civility and brutality. Colorado,John MacClean’s film debut - Slow West - shows he’s heading in the right direction.
Within the first few frames there is an odd coupling of Jay and Silas , a boy and a man, a dreamer and a survivor, and civility and brutality. Colorado, 1870, is pioneers, gangs, indians and immigrants. Trust in nonexistent , murder is as commonplace as pissing in the woods and fame is measured by the size of your reward on a wanted poster. Fassbender is understated, Smit-Mcphee is innocence, supporting characters are quirky and dialogue is quip. There are golden nuggets to pan in this love story with a bloody good ending.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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TyranianDec 25, 2019

Decent western with some nice visuals and performances, nothing too original though.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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esocidJun 7, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. While certainly an entertaining movie, it's just not enough of a story beyond the premise. There could have been more to enrich the characters. There were parts that were very well done, but there were also the characteristically blunt film school techniques that just pulled me out of the moment. Was it absolutely necessary to literally pour salt in the wound? If you have a large sign that reads "SYMBOLISM" then it misses the point of including it. There was great cinematography, reminiscent of good westerns, then art-house shots thrown in just because, which I liked but made the film seem scattershot, asking myself "what style is this going to be?"

Both Smit-McPhee and Fassbender acted well, and I liked Mendelsohn's portrayal of Payne. I really wanted to like it more, but unfortunately left feeling slightly apathetic.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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beingryanjudeJun 8, 2015

An impressive debut for writer/director John Maclean. Slow West is calm, cool and collected in all the right places - knowing exactly when to let all hell break loose. Even in a western does Michael Fassbender succeed--this time bringingAn impressive debut for writer/director John Maclean. Slow West is calm, cool and collected in all the right places - knowing exactly when to let all hell break loose. Even in a western does Michael Fassbender succeed--this time bringing along rookie Kodi Smit-McPhee.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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ydnar4Jul 9, 2015

Slow West is written and directed by first timer John Maclean and stars Kodi Smit-McPhee and Michael Fassbender. Fassbender also had some responsibility behind the camera as the executive producer. The film fits into the western genre and itSlow West is written and directed by first timer John Maclean and stars Kodi Smit-McPhee and Michael Fassbender. Fassbender also had some responsibility behind the camera as the executive producer. The film fits into the western genre and it revolves around a 16 year old boy named Jay Cavendish (played by Smit-McPhee) who has travelled from Scotland to America in search of the girl he loves. During his search he meets Silias, (played by Fassbender) an outlaw to choses to accompany Jay as a guide, but Jay is unaware that his girl and her father are both wanted for a reward of $2000. I would not even bother with this film if you are not a fan of westerns to begin with. This film is a real slow burn despite only running for 84 minutes. We mostly follow the main characters through their quest which is often just walking through unknown territory on horses. The ending is really what you should be watching this film for as the action really begins but even then the action is not really that intense after all the build up. It seems like nothing more than shooting back and forth over and over again. I really bought Fassbender as an outlaw though and I thought he was great and you are really drawn to him as a character because he just seems so suited for the part, but he does take a back seat to Smit-McPhee who is still good but not as strong. I can't really say I'm a western fan but I think that if you are you will get an enjoyment out of Slow West. I think the film is fairly well written and well acted but it is too slow and anticlimactic for me to really be impressed.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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JohnTravulvaMay 23, 2023

90% of the film is well executed. It doesn't try to be flashy or glorify what was happening during that time period. I enjoyed it up until the final scene where logic seemingly went out the window. The contrast of how the film was executed90% of the film is well executed. It doesn't try to be flashy or glorify what was happening during that time period. I enjoyed it up until the final scene where logic seemingly went out the window. The contrast of how the film was executed prior made me wonder if they ran out of budget.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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