The Claim

Name: The Claim
Genre: Drama, Romance, Western
Released: December 29, 2000
Duration: 120 min
Rating: 62
Cast: Peter Mullan, Wes Bentley

2000

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Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Ratings

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7.9

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7.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Ratings

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The Claim

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Movie Details & Credits

United Artists | Release Date: December 29, 2000 | TV-MA

Starring: Peter Mullan, Wes Bentley

Summary: A raw, romantic tale of stark beauty and primal authenticity about how dreams collided with greed in the making of California. [MGM]

Director: Michael Winterbottom

Genre(s): Drama, Romance, Western

Rating: TV-MA

Runtime: 120 min

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Critic Reviews

F. X. Feeney

A superb film by any measure, as deep and harsh as the sin Dillon committed to become great. Read full review

Roger Ebert

Parsimonious with its plot, which is revealed on a need-to-know basis. At first, we're not even sure who is who; dialogue is half-heard, references are unclear, the townspeople know things we discover only gradually. Read full review

David Edelstein

Gives off the same vapor of impending tragedy—of a fate neither just nor unjust but ineffably, wrenchingly right. Read full review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

There's something almost too controlled, cerebral, and overdetermined about Winterbottom's Western notions. Read full review

David Sterritt

Seems more clever than heartfelt, and whether you enjoy it may depend on how much you like Robert Altman's eccentric western "McCabe and Mrs. Miller," which it uncannily resembles. Read full review

Kim Morgan

The film moves too slowly and dispassionately to resonate as it should. Read full review

Dennis Lim

A numb, oddly dispassionate trudge toward predestined doom, inevitable in all the wrong ways. Read full review

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User Reviews

Mar 11, 2006

Amazing, amazing film. Great acting, cinematography, emotionally engrossing story and of course Milla Jovovich is smokin'.

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amheretojudge

Nov 11, 2018

there is actually no romance..

The Claim Winterbottom's poignant western venture is not only depressing but also is demotivating on terms of the gut wrenching darkness it consists. A sloppy adaptation of Hardy's novel The Mayor Of Casterbridge is still not the primary weakness of thisthere is actually no romance..

The Claim

Winterbottom's poignant western venture is not only depressing but also is demotivating on terms of the gut wrenching darkness it consists. A sloppy adaptation of Hardy's novel The Mayor Of Casterbridge is still not the primary weakness of this feature. It is undeniably stable and the tone is persistent whose credit goes to the sincerity of the makers that they depict each sequence with and clearly they haven't taken the material for granted. But unfortunately, mannerism isn't everything, especially in here. There is actually no romance between the viewers and the movie and even though there are stunning rich visuals that lures the audience and demand attention from the first frame.

There doesn't rely a genuine reason for you to keep rooting for this world, characters or tale. And the characters are well constructed, just like the storyline, but presumably all of that is Hardy and not Winterbottom. As far as Winterbottom's work is concerned, there is no fluidity and reasoning to tell such a dry tale. Bentley doesn't hold up to the character's range that he is allotted, he seems awfully distracted and aiming for the wrong viewers. Unfortunately, Jovovich too feels short handed on supporting him.

The only savior of this on-screen-host is Mullan in his ethically challenged role that puts him in a bitter spot of regret and mourne. And he with his rage and reserved act expresses it beautifully on screen; also his track is much more compelling than others. Armed with such a potential script, Winterbottom misses an opportunity to create an emotionally driven complex western drama and instead ends up on a mellow note which actually should have been thrilling and exuberant for the viewers. The Claim is apt description of a good intention gone wrong, what it could have been is never explored and what it has to be doesn't have a concrete ground to stand on.… Expand

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