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:

gun store | female fighter | quick draw | gunfight | weapon | 

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Taglines:

She turned to her past to protect her family.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joel Edgerton previously appeared with both Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), but the three were never together in the same scene; Edgerton only briefly interacted with Portman in Attack of the Clones, and only appeared in the same scene without interaction with McGregor in Revenge of the Sith. This film marks the first time that they share a scene among the three of them. Additionally, Joel's brother Nash Edgerton, who also has a brief role, appeared as McGregor's stunt double in both Star Wars prequels.

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Goofs

Near the end of the movie when Jane goes into the town, Lullaby, to collect the posted bounty rewards, she is driving two brown horses who are pulling the cart which we later find out is carrying the body of the top wanted criminal she killed. Her white riding horse, seen at other times in the movie, is tethered to the rear of the cart which one can assume is the horse she will use to ride back with, although it is not saddled. When she returns with her money bags after collecting all the "wanted dead or alive" rewards, she mounts a saddled-up brown horse with something that looks like a bedroll behind the saddle and heads back to her home. When she approaches the covered wagon in which her family is waiting, the unsaddled white horse can be seen in the distance, tethered to the rear of that wagon.

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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

Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Natalie Portman/John Oliver/Sia (2016)

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Soundtracks

Oh, I'm a Good Old Rebel
Traditional
Arranged and Performed by Dave Bourne

User Reviews

Them Bishop boys are coming for you? You don't need a gunslinger. You need a goddamn regiment.

Jane Got a Gun is directed by Gavin O'Connor and collectively written by Brian Duffield, Anthony Tambakis and Joel Edgerton. It stars Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, Ewan McGregor, Noah Emmerich, Boyd Holbrook and Rodrigo Santoro. Music is by Marcello De Francisci and Lisa Gerrard and cinematography is by Mandy Walker.

Jane Hammond (Portman) has to turn to her ex lover, Dan Frost (Edgerton), for help when it's revealed that the notorious Bishop gang are heading her way in search of her husband Bill (Emmerich).

It's going to be one of those films more talked about for what it could have been than what it is. Changes in production staff were unbound, from director, writer, photographer and some big name cast changes, it was a production blighted and destined to be on a loser. It hasn't helped that with it being a slow paced character based picture, and a Western at that, the market for a fan base was already running low on potential supporters. So what we left with?

It undoubtedly is one for hard core Western fans only, it's hard to envisage newcomers entering into the genre for the first time, perhaps lured by the casting of Portman, being won over to the point of seeking out other classic Westerns of past and present. Yet it's got a lot going for it, because if you have the want, then it may just take a second viewing to fully absorb and enjoy.

At its core it's a straight Oater of redemption, opportunities waylaid by fate, and of course a good old good versus bad axis. Relying on a flashback structure to set up the character dynamics, it can get a bit disorientating at times, hence the shout out for a second viewing. However, it may not be the perfect way to build the principal characters, but they are worth the investment for there's a big emotional pull there.

Having laid the foundation for the first two thirds of the pic, we shift to good old honest violence, for siege read backs against the wall, and not without invention, in fact there's much resourcefulness on show, with Jane at times very much leading the way. The last third pays off handsomely, even if there's the (arguably) inevitable sugar coated candy to swallow as part of the final deal. Cast are dandy and turning in perfs of note, though it needed more of McGregor's John Bishop, because with what little he gets he does make a villainous mark.

It looks terrific, Walker's photography bringing to mind the genre work of Roger Deakins, with the New Mexico locations blistering in their beauty, and while the sound mix for dialogue exchanges is a little poor, the musical score is thumping in its tonal appreciations. It's tricky to recommend with confidence even to Western fans, especially in a year when "Jane" had to compete with the more rambunctious Magificent Seven reboot, but give it a chance if you liked something like Slow West, and you may just be pleasantly surprised. 7/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 January 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jane Got a Gun

Filming Locations:

New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$835,572, 31 January 2016

Gross USA:

$1,513,793

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,067,531

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