Slow West

2015 • 84 minutes

About this movie

Set in 19th century Colorado but undeniably European in sensibility, SLOW WEST tells the story of sixteen-year-old Jay Cavendish as he travels from Scotland to Colorado in pursuit of his lost love. Quickly confronted by the dangers of the American frontier, he teams up with a mysterious traveller named Silas, who agrees to protect him - for a price. Jay’s quest will be one of double-crossing, violence and peril as the guileless adolescent learns that the West takes no pity, least of all on the innocent.

Ratings and reviews

Hmm, how do we stretch a 20 min plot into 84 minutes... Make every scene ridiculously long and pretend it's profound? Yes! Focus on people making unhappy faces? Sure! Steal some pointless scenes from Saraphim Falls? Why the hell not! Oversimplify the plot so it's bland and predictable... Don't get me wrong, it's not horrible. There's just a lot of wasted talent here. And it's poorly written and directed. And it's not even remotely profound.

There are a lot of "really?" moments in this film, but it is easy to get swept along the beautifully shot landscapes and striking scenes. It really needed to be at least an hour longer to give the characters proper development, but most will probably be satisfied with Silas'.

This film was beautifully shot. A western usually can be a little longer then it should be but this had a good balance between run time and substance. A good week night flick.