| Date | |
|---|---|
| Author | DCM |
When you walk into a film with a cast list boasting Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly, Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed you can be certain you will be in for a treat and that is exactly what The Sisters Brothers offers.
This modern take on the western film genre set around the great Californian gold rush of 1848, tells the story of the deadly Sisters brothers (Phoenix and Reilly) who are sent on the trail of Herman Kermit Warm (Ahmed) a man who claims to have a formula that lights up the gold when prospecting in a river.
Joaquin Phoenix offers the stand-out performance as the alcoholic, unhinged and violent Charlie who seems to take great joy in instilling fear in his victims as he plays with what little time they have left on the earth. Phoenix’s comic timing is a thing of beauty showcased in the almost childlike way he messes with John C. Reilly recognizable to anyone who has ever had to deal with an irritating younger brother.
In a festival that was quite heavily filled with stories of female friendships and sisterhood,The Sisters Brothers offered a multi-diensional look at male relationships. Reilly’s older brother Eli particularly showcases how his love for his brother wins out above all else and in his more tender moments, how a man who appears at face value to be nothing but a violent gun for hire, can put aside his own self gain to offer a man the comforts of friendship in his dying moments.
Set amongst the beautiful backdrops of some of Europe’s most serene landscapes (the plains of Romania feel very in-keeping with the landscapes we are used to seeing in old Western movies) anyone who has grown up watching Western movies is sure to fall for a film such as this that pays tributes to the tropes and film-making style of the genre, blending the themes and comedic charm with modern editing techniques, used to keep the film feeling refreshed and new.