Chris Weber (cosmo313)

Pollack and Redford's 1972 western is some kind of wonderful masterpiece. The bare bones plot involves a veteran of the Mexican War named Jeremiah Johnson who seeks to leave civilization behind and make a new life for himself as a mountain man. He struggles at first, but soon becomes a seasoned veteran who eventually comes to find his place in the world, even if it means enduring some great hardships and tough lessons along the way.

This is definitely a film both of its time, and way ahead of it, especially with the portrayal of Native Americans being very balanced, fair, and differentiating between the many types of tribes and cultures. Dances With Wolves did this too, but this one came first...it just didn't quite get the same amount of acclaim and exposure.

I loved how there's a lack of subtitles and how much of the film in general is told visually, forcing the viewer to focus on facial expressions and body language to pick up on what's going on. This is definitely a winning case of showing instead of telling.

And it's also pretty funny too, with much of the comic relief coming from Will Geer and Stefan Gierasch, who, along with Redford and the rest of the cast all deliver some top notch work. Now that I think about it, there's really not a whole lot wrong with it. The cinematography and location shooting are excellent and things look great, the music is decent, and this is one of those films that was made at a time when you could still make them like this and not have to worry about too much tinkering and interference.

Yeah, the film does become really formless and plot free at times, but I didn't mind that a whole lot since it really is more of a character study anyway. The film might not be for all tastes, but if you tend to enjoy revisionist westerns that are made with care, respect, and authenticity, then you'll find a lot to love here. Highly recommended. Solid A (to a near A+)

After a tragic car accident leaves him with brain damage and the inability to function beyond a very basic level, a former high school hockey star turned lowely janitor at a bank finds himself drawn into a plot by a former classmate to rob the bank where he works in this taut thriller from screenwriter Scott Frank, who makes his directorial debut here.

Even though this is a crime thriller that belongs into the heist genre, this is ultimately a character study that happens to have crime elements to it. Basically you just mix a bit of Memento with Fargo and throw in a tale of struggle and redemption, and you have this movie.

And, you know what? I really enjoyed the end result. This is a solid film that surprised me with the emphasis on character over action, and how the crime elements are merely just part of the overall scheme of things instead of being the driving force. Of course, they are a big part of the movie, but they're not the focus, and that's cool.

You really grow to care about the protagonist, and you feel for how the events going on affect him, especially since he may not be as over his head as it seems. Don't worry though, Frank keeps this from getting too far into the maddening territory of twists common in the works of Christopher Nolan.

And it's not just the lead that you enjoy watching either. His blind roommate Lewis is a great character, and even the thuggih villain is rather compelling. It really helps too that the film has some great actors giving strong performances, especially Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead, Jeff Daniels as Lewis (who really steals his scenes), and Matthew Goode in probably his best performance as Gary the villain. You've also got a decent Isla Fisher as a femme fatale, and brief appearances by Carla Gugino and Alex Borstein, so that's cool too.

All in all, I really liked this and found it to be veryt compelling, engaging, and attention holding. I did take issue with a few thigns that kinda stretched some of the believabiolity, but I won't get into the specifics since that would involving some spoilers. Despite those little issues though, this is some good stuff, albeit maybe not the most memorable film ever (no pun intended). I'm torn on the rating, so let's split the difference and call it a trong B to a light B+.