The Sisters Brothers
Annapurna Pictures | Release Date: September 21, 2018
7.3
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 139 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
101
Mixed:
33
Negative:
5
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
6
TVJerryOct 23, 2018
This Wild West duo features Joaquin Phoenix as the unruly brother and John C. Reilly as the sensitive one. They're sent to kill a prospector (Riz Ahmed) who's stolen from their boss (Rutger Hauer in a silent cameo). Even though it's a set inThis Wild West duo features Joaquin Phoenix as the unruly brother and John C. Reilly as the sensitive one. They're sent to kill a prospector (Riz Ahmed) who's stolen from their boss (Rutger Hauer in a silent cameo). Even though it's a set in the 1850s, this has an edgy contemporary feel that makes it a bit more unusual. The fact that the filmmaker is French (Jacques Audiard) also contributes to the unique approach. Instead of the expected bloody violence, the shootouts are full of gunpowder flashes and loud noise. There's some expectedly-beautiful scenery, period hardships and interesting variations on the typical tale. It's the relationships of the characters (which also includes Jake Gyllenhaal) and Audiard's perspective that make it most interesting.… Expand
1 of 4 users found this helpful13
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5
Compi24Oct 24, 2018
Remember when everyone cried foul over the fact that "The Last Jedi's" main tension was essentially one really slow car chase? This is the same deal, except on horseback (so slower) and with many more rest stops along the way. Yes, the actingRemember when everyone cried foul over the fact that "The Last Jedi's" main tension was essentially one really slow car chase? This is the same deal, except on horseback (so slower) and with many more rest stops along the way. Yes, the acting is good. Yes, the production design and period elements are terrific. Yes, the gunfights (all three of them) are a fun watch. But, without any apparent weight or reason to care about any of the scenes occurring before the audience's eyes, how am I supposed to say this was an altogether worthwhile watch? For the first 90-minutes it feels like every scene's content is treated with such a pedestrian approach. Things were just too blasé for my tastes. Again, it's made well and I'd even say the finale is pretty good. But I was simply disappointed with the effort, especially with the many talents involved.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
VickimageMar 27, 2019
I wanted to like The Sisters Brothers but it was a bit of a slog. The western it echoes is The Missouri Breaks - with Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson - but isn’t in the same league. John C Reilly is great as Eli Sisters but Joaquin PhoenixI wanted to like The Sisters Brothers but it was a bit of a slog. The western it echoes is The Missouri Breaks - with Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson - but isn’t in the same league. John C Reilly is great as Eli Sisters but Joaquin Phoenix is too restrained as supposedly hotheaded brother Charlie. The director clearly wants this to be a bit of an oddball lark but too often it meanders. A disappointment.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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5
moviemitch96Oct 13, 2018
Westerns are one of my favorite film genres, so I always look forward to seeing new ones as well. Unfortunately, this one was literally only halfway decent to me. Despite the talent of Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly, and Jake Gyllenhaal,Westerns are one of my favorite film genres, so I always look forward to seeing new ones as well. Unfortunately, this one was literally only halfway decent to me. Despite the talent of Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly, and Jake Gyllenhaal, their presence wasn't enough to liven the film up a bit more. Overall, it didn't do anything to really make it stand out and it's ultimately a rather forgettable Western.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
RalfbergsMay 29, 2020
While it was watchable and certainly had really good actors in it who were enjoyable to watch and made it feel real, it still overall felt a bit boring or like not being sure where the plot is heading and towards end got more and more feelingWhile it was watchable and certainly had really good actors in it who were enjoyable to watch and made it feel real, it still overall felt a bit boring or like not being sure where the plot is heading and towards end got more and more feeling that not that entertaining to watch, like I hoped… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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5
Bertaut1Apr 15, 2019
A plodding tale of violence and redemption that doesn't seem to know quite what it's trying to say

On the surface The Sisters Brothers is a Revisionist Western with a gritty Spaghetti aesthetic, but it's also a tale of avarice and theA plodding tale of violence and redemption that doesn't seem to know quite what it's trying to say

On the surface The Sisters Brothers is a Revisionist Western with a gritty Spaghetti aesthetic, but it's also a tale of avarice and the destructive potential of progressive thinking, a chase movie, a dark comedy, a tragic fable, an examination of the days when the Old West was giving way to an ever-encroaching modernity, a look at how the sins of the father are oft repeated by the children, a study of competing types of masculinity, even a political thesis. The English language debut of director Jacques Audiard, who adapted the script with Thomas Bidegain from Patrick DeWitt's 2011 novel, unfortunately, it did next-to-nothing for me, as its episodic rhythm, bifurcated narrative structure, and poorly-defined morality left me unengaged, frustrated, and rather bored.

Set in 1851, the film tells the story of Charlie Sisters (Joaquin Phoenix) and his older brother Eli (John C. Reilly), hired guns looking for Hermann Kermit Warm (Riz Ahmed), a mild-manner chemist who has created an elixir that when poured into a river, will illuminate any gold deposits on the river bed. Following tracker John Morris (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is to detain Warm until the brothers catch up, the mission soon proves a lot more than they bargained for.

Highly revisionist, The Sisters Brothers gives us all the genre's tropes, but from unexpected angles. For example, men ride horses, but when a horse is mortally wounded, the man to whom he belongs cries and apologises. Yes, this is the Old West of Sergio Leone, but Audiard defamiliarises it as much as possible. Additionally, Warm's progressive egalitarian vision for the future allows the film to examine the belief (however short-lived) that out of the lawlessness and land thievery, a certain section of the populace hoped a more mutually beneficial society might arise.

However, Audiard is not naïve enough to suggest that the Old West was especially peaceful or safe. But even here, he subverts the genre, using a recurring motif of either Charlie or Eli shooting an already downed opponent pleading for his life, which is not what we've come to expect from the protagonists of Hollywood westerns.

In terms of acting, Phoenix, Gyllenhaal, and Ahmed all have moments to shine, but this is Reilly's film. His nuanced performance allows us to see just how badly Eli's conscience is affecting him, and how much he is drifting away from the increasingly amoral Charlie.

However, for all this, I really disliked it. For one, I found it far too episodic, lurching from one incident to next with little in the way of connective tissue between them. I also didn't particularly like the shifts in focus from the brothers on the one hand to Morris and Warm on the other, making it impossible for either to fully settle. A knock-on from this is that it's difficult to figure out where one's empathy is supposed to lie. This difficulty becomes especially problematic in relation to the morally questionable dénouement, in which there is an incident which seems designed for the audience to roundly condemn one of the main characters, only for the film to then give us a 15-minute epilogue seemingly designed to redeem him. This throws into relief what for me was the most egregious problem - none of what we see seems to mean anything, there are virtually no consequences for anything the brothers do. This left me scratching my head as to what the film is trying to say. Is it suggesting that even the most morally repugnant of men deserve a shot at redemption?

As a kind of an aside, it's also worth mentioning an aesthetic decision that has me baffled. On occasion, the film is shot within a circular frame (think of how films often simulate POV through a telescope), often combined with racked focus and unsteady photography. I'm assuming the idea is to try to replicate a Kinetograph, but given that that device wouldn't be invented for another four decades, I'm not entirely sure what the point is. An especially strange example is a scene in which Charlie speaks direct-to-camera, the only example of such in the whole film. Is this a break in the fourth wall, and if so, why? If it isn't, from whose POV is the scene shot?

The four performances at the heart of The Sisters Brothers earn it a great deal of leeway. But even taking that into account, I just couldn't get into it. Far too plodding and thematically unfocused, it's certainly original in how it approaches generic tropes, and that's to be commended, but the imprecise and poorly constructed episodic narrative saps away the good will built up by the aesthetic design and the acting.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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5
LegendaryLassDec 21, 2018
Excellent cinematography, but for a "genre-hybrid" the laughs aren't really there. The pacing is so slow that by the time you realize what the plot is, the film is almost over.
0 of 3 users found this helpful03
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6
OrukayuJan 25, 2023
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Western movie made in 2018. Looking at the cast, a more awesome movie is expected. Movie doesn't have a catchy soundtrack. This movie John C. Reilly shines with his acting. In the film, while waiting for conflict with each other, more dramatic results occur due to greed. There are some sexual elements.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
DunkaccinoAug 30, 2023
That's a pitch for a movie with endless potential. It could be great. The Sisters Brothers is merely fine. It requires us to invest so much in the characters. I did, for a while, until I got tired of them and was hungry for conflict.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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