The Sisters Brothers

The Sisters Brothers

Starring John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed

Directed by Jacques Audiard

The Story:
In Oregon in the late 1800s, brothers Eli (John C. Reilly) and Charlie (Joaquin Phoenix) Sisters are the best hitmen in the Wild West.  They work for the mysterious Commodore (Rutger Hauer) who hires them to find and kill Hermann Kermit Warm (Riz Ahmed), a chemist who wronged the Commodore.  He sends out detective John Morris (Jake Gyllenhaal) to find him, and keep him at bay until the Sisters arrive.

As they make their way to their mark, Eli and Charlie encounter renegade headhunters, vengeful madams, bears, spiders, and their own differences that threaten to divide them.  Meanwhile, John gets to know Hermann more, and learns that he has a formula to find gold with ease, and forms an unlikely friendship with the man that becomes threatened when the Sisters arrive to finish the job they started.

The Pros:

Seeing the trailer, at first I thought the film was some sort of satirical, comedic look at the Old West.  Thankfully, that wasn't the case, and what French director Jacques Audiard managed to provide in his first English-speaking film is a unique twist on the Wild West genre, something that is inherently an American staple.  It's heavily dramatic with true comedic moments, and a surprising amount of gore and violence that wholly satisfied my entire palate.

The four main actors give tremendous performances, and the chemistry between them is easily captured and appreciated.  Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed worked together before on "Nightcrawler," and their comradere hasn't lost any steam since then.  Gyllenhaal balances law-and-order with his personal convictions beautifully, and Ahmed gives a mysterious turn on Hermann Warm, a chemist who found a formula for finding gold in the middle of the Gold Rush.

The main performances centered on Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly, and you really felt that they were brothers in real life.  They banter like brothers, fight like brothers, and love each other like brothers, and it's wholly believable from start to finish.  Phoenix plays Eli as a drunken mess most of the time, but when push comes to shove he sobers up quickly and easily fights his attackers with ease.

The most surprising performance came from John C. Reilly, who's most well-known for his slapstick comedy with longtime friend Will Ferrell, but here he manages to balance comedy with drama in equal measure, having us laughing one minute and tearing up the next.  He gives a stellar performance here, the best since "Walk Hard."

The film tells both sets of stories in a unique way, as we move from one pair to the other, as their deadly cat-and-mouse game slowly comes together.  It gives us enough time to get to know all four of them, and really appreciate them and hope the best for them all, yet we know that probably won't happen.

The scenery is beautiful and a definite callback to the Old West, with old-style saloons and towns springing up, luscious landscapes on horseback, and classic costumes of yore.

The story is fascinating and unfolding, where surprises seem natural and organic to the story instead of being thrown in to provide cheap thrills for the audience.  We witness the Sisters Brothers as they face outside opponents and their own personal demons, as they question whether or not it's right to do what their boss wants them to.  Charlie wants to finish the job and get his money, while Eli wants to quit and open his own store, knowing the path they're on will only lead to death.  It's a fascinating character study of these two men and their opposing ideals, and yet how they continue to look out for each other.

The Cons:

There's several moments where the film seemed to be too dark to see what was happening.  I wasn't entirely sure if it was how it was filmed, or if the light on the screen was darker than usual, but it did take away from some moments for me.

The pacing seemed a bit off, especially in the middle and the end.  The film did a great job at the start by juxtaposing the two sets of men and their stories, but then it just focused on the Sisters brothers until they all finally meet, and then the pace goes from super slow to quick and back to slow again.

While I enjoyed the film, I couldn't help but think it could've been shortened by about thirty minutes or so.  There was a few moments where I just wanted the film to end - not because it was bad, but because they were giving more information than what was needed, and could've been cut without affecting the final outcome.

The Summary:
With four stellar actors and an acclaimed international director at the helm, "The Sisters Brothers" offers a new look at the Old West, providing a dramatic, comedic, bloody ride that's strengthened by the performances and the comradere that they shared.

The Score: A