Jane Got a Gun (2015)

A woman asks her ex-lover for help in order to save her outlaw husband from a gang out to kill him.

Director:

Gavin O'Connor

Writers:

Brian Duffield (screenplay), Anthony Tambakis (screenplay)

Stars:

Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, Ewan McGregor

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Natalie Portman	...	Jane Hammond
Joel Edgerton	...	Dan Frost
Ewan McGregor	...	John Bishop
Noah Emmerich	...	Bill Hammond
Boyd Holbrook	...	Vic Owen
Rodrigo Santoro	...	Fitchum
James Burnett	...	Cunny Charlie
Sam Quinn	...	Slow Jeremiah
Maisie McMaster	...	Kate
Jenny Gabrielle	...	Whore
Alex Manette	...	Buck
Piper Sheets	...	Mary
Celia Kessler	...	Jig Girl
Linda Martin	...	Madame
Kristin Hansen	...	Woman #1 (as Kristen Hansen)

Storyline

Jane Got a Gun centers on Jane Hammond, who has built a new life with her husband Bill "Ham" Hammond after being tormented by the ultra-violent Bishop Boys outlaw gang. She finds herself in the gang's cross-hairs once again when Ham stumbles home riddled with bullets after dueling with the Boys and their relentless mastermind Colin. With the vengeful crew hot on Ham's trail, Jane has nowhere to turn but to her former fiancé Dan Frost for help in defending her family against certain destruction. Haunted by old memories, Jane's past meets the present in a heart-stopping battle for survival.

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Plot Keywords:

ex lover | haunted by the past | on the run | death of husband | redemption | 

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Taglines:

Strength, justice, power, vengeance.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 January 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Armée et dangereuse

Filming Locations:

New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$803,000, 31 January 2016, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$1,512,815, 21 February 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

1821 Pictures, Boies / Schiller Film Group, Eaves Movie Ranch

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the 5th time that Gavin O'Connor has directed a film starring Noah Emmerich.

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Goofs

After shooting Mr. Bishop four times Jane still has at least three bullets left in the revolver, as can be seen in the closeup.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jane Hammond: [whispering a bedtime story] Callie and Decca were two sisters. They were on a boat. They're in the water, and Callie said to Decca, "Decca, will you tell me the story about the upside-down tree again please?" And Decca said, "Once upon a time, there was an upside-down tree. And anyone who walked in through the door of its trunk would be immediately turned to good if they were bad." Callie said, "I would really like to see that tree sometime." They went on and on in the water. Can ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Chris Stuckmann Movie Reviews: Jane Got a Gun (2016)

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Soundtracks

Red River Valley
Traditional
Arranged and Performed by Squeek Steele
By arrangement with Saddle Butte Music

User Reviews

With fragmented narrative and awkwardly shot moments, Jane might have the gun but not the spark.

At the skin "Jane Got a Gun" might look like a gunslinger action flick, but this is more of a drama set in the Wild West with some action undertone for the backdrop. The visual often displays the scenes with overly dark contrast or extreme close up which is annoyingly jarring at times. Also, having high caliber actor and actress such as Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman doesn't elevate the movie beyond average frontier drama.

Jane (Natalie Portman) is searching for a bouncer to protect her and her wounded husband from a gang of outlaws. The one guy volunteering is her ex-lover, so you can see there's a lot of love triangle plot at play here. Its source material doesn't really offer anything more, there might be a couple of intense sequences, action and twist towards the end, but they are far from remarkable and the journey to reach there is dry.

To its credit, the storytelling attempts two different timelines. The movie will shift from the current events to the ones from the past, it's a particularly nifty effort to highlight the encounter with specific characters and their relationship with the leads. However, the screenplay feels disjointed at times since there's barely any difference between past and present, and the drama from both eras are equally stagnant.

Visual is mostly decent, although it too often shoots the characters' face far too closely, even simple conversation or motion is done needlessly in this manner. There's not adequate cinematography to showcase the gritty frontier atmosphere,, although a few scenery shots are commendable. Action is surprisingly soft, only occurring briefly and sporadically, it's passable but by no means outstanding.

"Jane Got a Gun" is not as exciting as it sounds to be, it's a casual drama that simply happens in Wild West.