Films often run long to a fault. However, they can also run short, and Slow West is a prime example. The story of an eager, youthful Scotsman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who has come to the untamed American frontier in search of people from his past and his hesitant bond with another traveler, a taciturn bounty hunter (Michael Fassbender), the film is in many ways a gem: an atmospheric, at times cynical, at times romantic Western fable. Imagine the antique-epic aesthetic of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford coupled with the wryly outlandish sensibility of Wes Anderson and buoyed by well-matched stars, with Fassbender particularly having a grand time toting guns, riding horses, and perfecting his Clint Eastwood-style thousand-yard stare. Each shot is framed just so, lit to sumptuous golden-hour perfection, and adorned with authentic period detail. Sadly, sans end credits, Slow West lasts around an hour and 20 minutes, perhaps even a tad less. We crash headfirst into the ending and wish there were far more, or at least I did: more chasing and gun-fighting sequences, more character development (including for Ben Mendelsohn's nicely snaky, yet still thinly sketched heavy), and more time in general in this highly distinctive and slightly madcap cinematic vision of the Old West. The third act's bittersweet, unforgiving violence would hit even harder if the road leading there were longer and more winding.

B

Slow West

This is an excellent film. It's not very often you see a western so intricately made, and with the admirable restraint from promising director, John Maclean, so well built up to a tense and cinematic finale. I adored the cinematography which, for me, perfectly captures the vastness of the west. The score is another homerun, especially in the final scene, it's masterful, showing that Maclean understands the importance of delivering what the preceding hour has built up so well. Michael Fassbender, Ben Mendelsohn, and Kodi Smit-McPhee are all on the tops of their game, delivering just what is needed at any given time.

I think this is up there with some of the best westerns I have ever seen. It's lean, direct, and laidback. Whether it was intentional or not, I am not sure, but I found the fact that this is a western and none of its trio of talent are American rather humorous (and awesome).

A-

It is great.

My only regret is that I did not see it at the cinema.

It is a gorgeous movie and a very cool European/indie variation on the Western, but I still firmly believe it needed to be longer. Even 30 minutes longer. More scenes between Fassbender and Smit-McPhee, developing the dynamic between them. More atmospheric tangents and colorful, peripheral characters. This film calls out for space and depth, not in and out and over in an hour and 20 minutes sans credits.

It could have been longer, yes. But it comes from a short-film maker. He's honed his craft of telling a precise and lean story. I think it's totally acceptable, and it doesn't hurt the film. If anything, it benefits the film. It challenges our conventions of the old west, in a way. Westerns are usually presented in a sweeping epic style with lots of tumbleweed shots and baggage from the second unit. Slow West doesn't have any of that, and it will surely stand out in anyone's mind when they think of westerns because of its runtime.

Just rewatched this. It held up, and possibly I liked it more. It's a beautiful film, and very well edited. It builds very well into the final act. Kodi Smit-McPhee gives a pretty great performance too.