The Sisters Brothers (2018)

Review

122min

Genre:       Crime, Drama, Western

Director:    Jacques Audiard

Cast:         Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly, Jake Gyllenhaal…and more

Writers:     Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain and Patrick DeWitt

-Synopsis-

When their latest contract takes them across the unforgiving mid-19th century American West on a hunt for a gold prospector with a valuable secret, the notorious pair of assassins-for-hire ‘The Sisters Brothers’ face a job which confronts them with questions about their childhood, what they’ve done, and where they plan to go . . . if the wild west doesn’t decide first.

Having captured the imagination of European audiences, movie critics and film festivals over the last two decades with powerful human tales like masterful prison drama ‘A Prophet’, trauma tale ‘Rust and Bone’, and refugee story ‘Dheepan’, French writer/director Jacques Audiard wrangles a starry cast to adapt Patrick DeWitt’s novel and introduce himself to a wider Hollywood audience with his first English-language feature—an unforgiving and reflective homage to the classic American western . . . with unexpected dark comedic overtones.

Joaquin Phoenix stars as hard-drinking impulsive gunslinger ‘Charlie Sisters’, roaming the American west of the mid-1800s with his more stable and dependable older brother ‘Eli’ (John C. Reilly) as paid assassins for the notorious ‘Commodore’ (Rutger Hauer), when their latest bounty sets them off on a quest across the frontier to take out ‘Hermann Kermit Warm’ (Riz Ahmed)—an ambitious chemist-turned-prospector with a revolutionary method, and a yearning for the American dream. But as they stir up trouble from town to town, and when suave bounty hunter gambler ‘John Morris’ (Jake Gyllenhaal) enters the fray, their latest job turns into a soul-searching journey which confronts the brothers with their difficult past, and forces them into a fateful decision regarding their future.

The western has had a good track record of foreign directors throwing in their two cents and adding a new flavour to the classic Hollywood staple, with Italian filmmakers like Sergio Leone, Sergio Corbucci and Sergio Sollima revolutionising the genre in the 1960s and creating the ‘Spaghetti Western’ subgenre. But fifty years on, Audiard isn’t exactly reinventing that wheel again here, but instead—much like British director John Maclean did with his 2015 debut ‘Slow West’ or Dutch director Martin Koolhoven did with his disturbing 2016 frontier drama ‘Brimstone’—the French filmmaker is experimenting with the different tones and facets of the western, while paying homage to the genre on which Hollywood was built.

This is also a sharply made, stylistically impressive piece too, beautifully shot by cinematographer Benoît Debie who captures the rugged beauty of the American frontier, while establishing a fluctuating mood and atmosphere through an unconventional western score from versatile Oscar-winner Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Shape of Water)—initially projecting a heist movie feel, but growing progressively more melancholy as the film becomes more reflective.

‘The Sisters Brothers’ is to some extent defined by its blackly comedic streak, often playing with classic western topes while blending the farcical and ludicrous side of the old west with its inherent brutality, and some graphic violence, giving off ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ vibes but more sombre and brooding. But this is no comedy per se, as Audiard weaves together an often introspective tapestry of flawed individuals who reflect on circumstance, abuse and past deeds, in a film which is a meditation on the time, society and country in which it takes place. This is also to some extent a parable about greed, ambition and the general amorality of the old American west, and its place in the historical pantheon of American capitalism.

The film has plenty of horse-riding and hijinks, gunfights and all the general debauchery we’ve come to expect from the wild west, but at heart this is an intricate character piece, and considering the talents of its lead foursome it damn well better be. Phoenix and C. Reilly are superb as the brothers in question, brimming over with on-screen chemistry and bringing equal parts tragedy and comedy to their roles as two very different brothers on diverging paths, struggling with the baggage of a difficult upbringing and failing to exorcise the ghost of an abusive father.

Meanwhile in a supporting but key capacity, ‘Nightcrawler’ co-stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed are auspiciously reunited—respectively playing the opportunist with a rare streak of integrity and the noble entrepreneur he chases, and partners with—as their strand of the story then converges with the that of the relentless brothers who chase them . . . with unexpectedly contemplative results.

Yet even aside from the film’s dynamic and hugely misleading comedic first trailer, there are other elements which might limit its appeal and curtail its success. Unlike the black and white morality of the early westerns, or the gritty stylism of the genre in the 60s, this is a more morally contemplative version which reflects the era in which it’s made, which might prove too laborious for those looking for basic western thrills and spectacle. The film’s momentum is also often choppy and won’t deliver the climax you might hope for, while the path of the characters—and indeed the narrative itself—can feel like it’s going nowhere.

But go somewhere it does, even if it isn’t where you expected. Ultimately the director’s tribute to the American western, its tropes, and its hardened quirky characters is an unconventional tale of dysfunctional family and brotherhood in the guise of the classic genre, and a dedication to his own brother. With ‘The Sisters Brothers’ Jacques Audiard becomes the latest non-American director to add a different flavour and a ‘je ne sais quoi’ to the canon of the classic western, helping to reinvigorate a genre once thought dead . . . but never quite buried.

The Bottom Line…

A funny yet sombre, reflective and reverential yet subversive and melancholy take on the classic American western. Elevated by meticulous cinematic craftsmanship, unexpected dark humour and the talents of an impressive lead foursome, ‘The Sisters Brothers’ adds a new perspective—from a formidable French filmmaker—to a genre undergoing a welcome 21st century revival.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Slow West (2015)

A young Scottish lad crosses the Ocean and the wild unforgiving plains of 19th Century America to find his true love who was forced to flee their homeland, as he tries to avoid a selection of cutthroats and bounty-hunters, he’ll rely on an unlikely alliance with a dangerous and mysterious drifter as they head West . . . slowly.

Directed by John Maclean and starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender and Ben Mendelsohn among others.

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