Wow, what a brutal "western." I put "western" in quotes because most people think of the western half of the United States as being the locale for western movies. This movie was made and set in Australia but the time frame is similar: around 1880. What's "brutal" about the story is the violence, bloodshed and language - but only in spots. The language is odd in that the vocabulary of most of the people is above-average, but be warned there are a number of f-words. I question whether that word was around in the 19th century, but it's prevalent in this film. Actually, the violent scenes will be more offensive to viewers than the profanity. Like the profanity, however, the violence only comes in spurts. Most of the film has much calmer moments, surprisingly low-key.
One thing that is there throughout the 104 minutes is the excellent cinematography. This is a pretty film, nicely shot with some beautiful scenery and colors, stylish at times, too. To me, this was the best part of the movie. It's indeed a visual treat. Benoit Delholmme deservedly won several international awards for his camera-work in here.
The story is uniquely presented, different enough that it kept me very involved wondering what was coming next. For those expecting a brainless revenge story or shoot 'em up western, they will be disappointed. There is a lot of thought to this film, and it varies scene- to-scene from classy to crude.
Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone and Emily Watson are three actors I am familiar with, and I enjoyed all three of their performances. This is not a well-known movie here in the States, but if you like tough westerns and something a bit different, check it out.
