'Meek's Cutoff'

'Meek's Cutoff' (PG) (rental)

Writer: Jonathan Raymond
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Starring: Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson, Zoe Kazan,
Will Patton, Paul Dano, Neal Huff

"Meek's Cutoff" is a different kind of Western and I love how unconventional it is. There is a great impending doom being built up in the story but when it all ends I felt unsatisfied. The director is Kelly Reichardt and she is a bold new director who has been praised heavily. I didn't get the hype over her first movie "Old Joy" which didn't work for me. I didn't get or have any interest in the characters. But I loved Reichardt's next movie "Wendy and Lucy" with an earth shattering performance by Michelle Williams. With "Meek's Cutoff" I am back to the I don't get it "Old Joy" position.

"Meek's Cutoff" tells the story of a group of settlers in 1845 Oregon traveling in harsh conditions. They pick up another traveler, an Indian who seems to be dangerous and keeps this group on their heels. The lead male Meek is played by Bruce Greenwood and he is mean to the Indian. This is nicely balanced by one of the female settlers played well again by the great Michelle Williams. She is kind, feeds the Indian and sews a hole in one of his shoes. The Indian starts to lead the settlers but are they heading into an ambush by more Indians or are they reaching a dead end?

I do like that feeling of danger and Reichardt does an effective job setting that up. I like the Michelle Williams character but no other character registers and maybe that is the point. The major strength of this movie making it worth the rental on HD DVD is the excellent cinematography. It is not stunning but the location work is incredible making us feel like we are there back in 1845. It is not glamorous but the camera flawlessly captures the rustic, gritty part of that old West that many Westerns these days don't do.

I loved the look of the movie but I can't fully recommend it because the movie doesn't go anywhere for me and I know that is not the point. There are no easy answers and no final wrap up that comes to a complete end and I usually love that. I liked the movie when I was watching it but walking out of the theatre I just felt nothing. I felt like I was missing something vital and when a style of ending that I usually love leaves me cold I knew that the movie didn't affect me positively or negatively.

P.S. Check it out at home though because for the adventurous viewer it might be rewarding. In my opinion an unusual Western that is much more effective is 2005's "The Proposition" with a powerful performance by Ray Winstone, very powerful stuff.