Americana

There are enough likeable characters here with own special quirks - country music and reincarnation obsessions, art theft and cultural appropriation - to make "Americana" a fun late summer journey to the movies. Sydney Sweeney before she was involved in any eugenics controversy, Halsey, and Paul Walter Hauser along with a great Zahn McClarnon all offer something interesting, sort of like "Nashville" and "Thunderheart" thrown in a blender. It along with "Eddington" give hope that a kind of revival of nineties indie cinema might be around the corner, or at least before the next Superman reboot.

It's a black comedy-drama Western set in modern times in South Dakota and Wyoming. The story unfolds in multiple parts as we meet all the characters. They include young Cal Starr (Gavin Maddox Bergman), his mother, Mandy (Halsey), and her live-in boyfriend, Dillon MacIntosh (Eric Dane). Mandy comes from a very unusual family. There is the "ghost shirt," which has great spiritual significance for the local Lakota People, that is stolen at the direction of antiques dealer Roy Lee Dean (Simon Rex). Ghost Eye (Zahn McClarnon), head of the local Lakota resistance movement, wants its return. Two people insert themselves into the story after overhearing the plot at the local diner. They are waitress Penny Jo Poplin (Sydney Sweeney), an aspiring country singer, and romantically-deprived Lefty Ledbetter (Paul Walter Hauser).

"Americana" could be mistaken for a Coen Brothers film, with off-center characters who get involved in events far beyond their ability to control. The humor is Coen-like. There is a lot of violence, but this is a Western in which the Lakota acquit themselves well. There's also a feminist angle. Halsey, Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser, and Eric Dane all perform well. The pace is good and the story engaging despite the multitude of themes.

The Roger Ebert reviewer didn't like "Americana," but I did.

This movie was an unexpected gem. Quirky characters and storylines develop well and intertwine until they all come together in a totally unexpected and dramatic way. When the movie was wrapping up, I didn't want people around me to know I was on the verge of tears. I will be stopping at the store to buy some PBR!

"Americana" is the story of a small town somewhere in South Dakota. We meet a large group of eccentric characters -- among them thug Dillon, his girlfriend Mandy and her little brother Cal (who claims he is the reincarnation of Sitting Bull), stuttering waitress Penny Jo, and goofy but kind-hearted vet Lefty. A very valuable Native American artifact goes onto the black market and the chase for it becomes wild and violent involving the folk I just mentioned and many others...

"Americana" is clearly an attempt to emulate Tarantino. And for a while, it does a really good job. The stories and timelines all intertwine nicely. The characters are engaging and the performances are solid (especially Paul Walter Hauser and Sydney Sweeney, who make Lefty and Penny Jo a charming and quirky pairing). However, about 2/3 of the way through, writer/director Tony Tost seems to run out of idea so it's just "everybody shoots." It sort of peters out at the end, which is a shame, since a killer ending would have really elevated this flick.

Overall though, in a world of IP and huge budget messes, "Americana" is a breath of fresh air. Not perfect by any length, but still pretty entertaining and definitely worth checking out and supporting.

AMERICANA is not a disaster. In fact, it's maybe 3/4ths of a very good movie. This neo-Western crime caper has a lot to say both about America's violent past and its fractious, identity politics poisoned present, but it should have taken the time to develop those ideas more fully.

Don't be fooled by Sydney Sweeney's top billing-she's probably the third or even fourth lead. She's fine enough, though her character is underwritten and stuck with a character trait that probably seemed better on the page than how it plays on screen. Halsey is fierce and along with Zahn Mcclarnon probably gives the movie's best performance.

AMERICANA looks and feels like an early Coen Brothers film or something Tarantino might have tried before Pulp Fiction, but it lacks the style, pace and wit that either of those filmmakers would bring to the material. But you could do worse movie-wise these days and if you go in open minded, you might just come away liking this one.