Viraj's Weblog

As of this writing, this movie is now in the top 250 at IMDB. I'm a bit skeptical of IMDB reviews, however I have to say this is one awesome movie. I'm a pretty big fan of the raw Westerns where it's not just guns blazing but actually mind battles taking place. This movie reminded me of Butch Cassidy, and the final scenes are almost an homage to it. Granted there is lots of violence, and if that turns you off you probably won't like this.

I would the say the characters are the best part of this movie. It's fairly clear who is a good guy and who is a bad guy, but the line is quite blurred. Each side harbors both good and bad qualities, and even the characters around them all cannot be put into any bucket. There is a great scene where just with some temptation of a little money, a whole town joins the bad guys. These are the really intelligent types of movies, where attitudes are more realistic and likely represent the culture of the old western desert towns. One scene has a gruesome 'operation' by the only doctor in town with prehistoric equipment. Seeing animal fetal development pictures on the walls, the patient is reassured when the doctor tells him it's nice to be able to have a conversation with a patient for once. Be thankful you have a nice modern hospital down the street .

A common theme throughout the movie is religion and morals, and criticisms of both. One supposedly good person who lives by the Bible justifying killing American Indians including children for revenge is no better than the thief and murderer who also quotes the Bible. Let's face it, during those times the Bible must have been the only book widely read. The son of the good guy looks up to the bad guy. There are just so many interesting conversations and themes going throughout the movie.

Both Russell Crowe and Christian Bale were amazing. Both characters undergo changes and the acting here is just great. At the end you are strangely rooting for both of them, and it takes real directorial skill to convince the audience to do that.