Old Henry

Irony abounds. Six decades ago you could not turn on the TV or go to a theatre without bumping into a western. Today they are few and far between. (Except for the fact that Clint Eastwood is still starring in them, which is just plain odd). So when this little gem shows up, with the guts to bet the farm (literally) on a tight script and a BIG REVEAL, you really have to take off your hat and salute it.

Well-written western, with an excellent central performance from Tim Blake Nelson as a farmer with more to him than meets the eye. Nelson is given top-flight support from Scott Haze and Stephen Dorff. I'm not so sure about the choice of Gavin Lewis, who plays Nelson's teenage son; he's less well cast, and feels urban in a way that the other actors in the cast don't.

It is a boy's night out, no question -- there aren't any female characters at all. Still, it's a nicely-made movie, carefully paced, with a tumultuous last reel.

A farmer defending an injured man from a posse has his true identity called into question.

From the opening director Potsy Ponciroli's offering, you know your not having to sit through another glossy looking made for streaming looking western. It has a filmatic look with wonderful cinematography from John Matysiak. It's centred around the homestead and every inch of location used, giving a feel of solitude and hopelessness. This with some old school editing by Jamie Kirkpatrick and Ponciroli's visual flare and attention to detail echo Pale Rider and is reminiscent at times of modern great westerns, emulating The Unforgiven, with touch of the classics.

Complimented by Jordan Lehning music Stephen Dorff leaves an impression as Ketchum and showcase why he should be making more quality films. Old Henry is clearly Tim Blake Nelson's vehicle, he gives a solid, steely performance. Throwing in a few twist Ponciroli with his writing hat on leans on the tropes of the genre while not shying away from the harsh reality of the Wild West that all accumulates to a satisfactory conclusion. Recommend.

Westerns look like a dying breed. Only every now and then you get another western so it's waiting for a good one. Old Henry is one of those. Not very fast paced but certainly worth watching. No huge names either, although Tim Blake Nelson was perfect to play his character. The cinematography was good, the acting was more than good, and the story has a little twist that was clever. Definitely worth your time if you like westerns.

I went into this one without even bothering to read the reviews and it blew me away.

Extremely well done, the acting from all involved was top notch, especially Tim Blake Nelson, who really showed he is a quality actor.

There is nothing over the top involved the story is just a story with the "good guys" coming out on top against the odds. Except who really knows who the good guys are.

Definitely a movie that could be watched more than once. It loses 2 stars for me due to the flashbacks, those were not really required and made the movie a bit confusing.

8/10 and highly recommended.