The Old Way

I went to see this move because it had a 7.0 at the time. I don't know what you people are thinking. I even went on half-off night and still regret it. The little girl is the best actor out of the entire cast by far. Even Cage comes up short. For hardened criminals in the cowboy days, the bad guys look like frat boys dressed up for Halloween. Or, use an excellent face moisturizer from the mercantile. And any scene with them feels like you are watching a middle school theater performance. There are so many corny punch lines as well. From the first 5 minutes it was cringe and never got better. The story line was rushed and seemed like key scenes were cut. I hate to be negative but it's a bust. Movies such as True Grit and Open Range are on a far different level of plot, authenticity, and acting. This doesn't come close and felt like another low budget Netflix film where everyone did the absolute minimum. If you think this is going to be a film about raw vengeance like the trailer suggests, it isn't. I could go on but I have made my point.

A nice throwback to my favourite genre of movie...the western.

I would love to see a spree of good quality westerns hit the big screen, with The Old Way being much better than most of the westerns released over the last few years.

Cage is Cage except with a little bit more, you can see he's enjoying playing the gunslinger role. The kid, Ryan, gives one of the better child actor performances I've seen, underplaying the sociopath role nicely.

A few more gunfights would have added to the fun but otherwise there was enough to ge my western juices flowing.

Would definiately recommend especially for western fans but don't start comparing it to Josey Wales or The Searchers for example :)

Cage has a way of dumbing down of a film which is fine to an extent but you can't help wondering if he was the best choice for the role.

I think there are much more believable actors who would have added a lot more credibility and realism to this film and it may have become a modern classic rather than a one off throw away novelty.

Young Ryan Kiera Armstrong is the real star here and judging by her standard of ability has a good future in acting as long as she keeps her wits about her. I can see why she was chosen for this part.

Overall not a terrible way to pass some time but not a film that you would watch more than once.

This is both a typical Nick Cage move and a solid Western. It's an unlikely combo, but welcome nonetheless.

The plot is traditional: one act of violence leads to another, until our protagonists are led into a search for vengeance. The twist is that they're a father and his very young daughter.

Cage does a satisfactory job as the emotionless killer who's not sure how to be a dad. Ryan Armstrong steals the show as his precocious daughter, who never bats an eye at danger.

It's all fairly predictable, but good fun. The supporting performances are flavorful, especially Noah Le Gros as the villain and Nick Searcy as the crusty old marshal. My biggest complaint: I wish the film had been longer, and given us more time with these people.

This is very much like the better Westerns that were cranked out by the dozens in the 1950s. Wish we had more of them today.

Finally the world is treated to a Nicolas Cage western. It is full of clichés and follows the typical western tropes yet is always engaging.

This may be billed as Nic Cage's first western however Ryan Kiera Armstrong runs off with the full movie. She is exceptional as a Mattie Ross type character who seeks revenge for a loved one. Her chemistry with Cage saves the movie from mediocrity.

There are a few good supporting characters with Noah Le Gros making a decent enough villian (despite not convincing entirely) and Clint Howard playing Eustice, a prophet of doom character, straight out of The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre.

You watch The Old Way and go 'well that's from that movie and from that western' but The Old Way has enough charm (especially in Armstrong) to get it over the line.