For the last sixty years, few actors have been as reliable an onscreen presence as Tom Skerritt. Bearded-yet-buttoned-up, handsome-yet-approachable, the 88-year-old has built an accomplished career playing sturdy, steadfast leaders. For decades, Skerritt has been the ideal supporting actor—highlights including M*A*S*H, Alien, Top Gun, and A River Runs Through It. His new film, East of the Mountains, provides a plum leading role of which he makes the most.
Skerritt plays Ben Givens, a retired surgeon still mourning the death of his wife. Against the wishes of his only daughter (Mira Sorvino), Ben chooses to go on a days-long hunting trip with his trusty dog Rex as his sole companion. What his daughter doesn’t know (and what nobody else knows) is that Ben has terminal cancer. In the opening scene he produces his father’s old rifle and considers killing himself. This hunting trip is meant to be the final thing.
Skerritt plays Ben Givens, a retired surgeon still mourning the death of his wife. Against the wishes of his only daughter (Mira Sorvino), Ben chooses to go on a days-long hunting trip with his trusty dog Rex as his sole companion. What his daughter doesn’t know (and what nobody else knows) is that Ben has terminal cancer. In the opening scene he produces his father’s old rifle and considers killing himself. This hunting trip is meant to be the final thing.
- 9/22/2021
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
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