An average movie

I already saw this movie but, since it was a while back and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well give it a second chance. I have noticed that my rating was a little bit harsh and, after rewatching the damned thing, I actually wonder why. Sure, it was still nothing really thrilling, it was basically a really classic Western tale told in the most classic way possible. I don’t know, maybe at the time, I was really bothered by its generic aspect. Anyway, I think it is actually a decent watch after all. I mean, with such actors involved like Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones, you can’t really go wrong. Furthermore, you can say whatever you want about Ron Howard but the guy is a versatile director, he has tried a lot of different genres and this time, he tried his luck with one of the oldest genres, the Western. Unfortunately, even though Howard is a competent director, his work usually turns out to be rather bland and uninspiring and this movie was a perfect example. I think it was also the reason why this movie was pretty much completely unnoticed when it was released. I mean, lot of people think that the Western is ‘dead’ but the reason why so many of these movies flop is not because of the genre itself. Indeed, I think it’s because directors like Ron Howard, instead of adapting this genre to the modern audience, keep pretty much the same formula, or something very close to it, which was used back in the 50’s and 60’s but, as a result, these movies fail because the modern audience is either bored or can’t really relate to them. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I have to admit that this movie was actually better than I remembered and I think it is worth a look, at least, if you like such classic Westerns. 

6/10