A classic

I already saw this movie but, since it was a while back, I thought I might as well check it out again. Well, I have to admit that I actually didn’t remember much about it and, sure, it might not seem memorable if you would compare it to something coming out nowadays (after all, it was a very short movie which was done with a $150 budget only). However, the damned thing was actually seriously groundbreaking when it was released. Basically, it was pretty much the forefather of the Western genre, even if it was in fact not the very first Western. Eventually, even if the story was very basic, it is still considered as one of the very first movies with some kind of plot and, for such an early attempt, I thought the narration was actually pretty smooth, much more than I expected. Sure, they might have spent too much time on some specific actions like tidying up this clerk at the railway station but, for some guys with no experience and above all, nothing to refer to, I thought they did a really solid job. Above all, even though most of the movie was rather forgettable, the final image of this cowboy shooting at the camera was such a bold move, even for today, and this striking image was quite unforgettable. Seriously, it must have been priceless to be in the movie theatre when this cowboy started to shoot at the audience as many people went apesh*t since they didn’t expect it and had never experienced anything like this before. It was at the time a big commercial success. Anyway, to conclude, even if it might not seem mind-blowing, the historical value of this movie is huge and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in movie history.

7/10