The Jack Bull

Though most likely found in the Westerns section at your local rental joint, this movie does not feel like a western. It feels like a timeless story set incidentally in the "Old West." It is, in fact, derived from another telling of the same story set in another time and another place. Regardless of that fact, "The Jack Bull" stands on its own for quality and character. All performances, from the leads to the extras, are inspired. John Cusack is in top form and earns his place in the title role. The direction, cinematography and editing are unpresumptuous but essentially flawless, as if standing aside to let the story go to your heart. And the story itself is touching and transcendent, a parable of honor, duty, pride, justice, and the price paid by those who uphold them. Neither a traditional "ride off into the sunset," nor a traditional tragedy, this film rather from beginning to end rings true and thereby sets itself apart from others like it. It comes highly recommended, and will not disappoint.