The Thicket

The story and plot was easy to become invested in. It has gritty, interesting, and engaging characters. The story is compelling, violent, raw, and unpredictable. The outlaws were very bad, and the good guys felt like real people. There were many very tense and exciting scenes. The scenery and settings were authentic to a turn of the century rustic western era. The character acting was flawless throughout. I also quite enjoyed the music track. Overall, this movie was well written, well made, well acted, engaging, interesting and worthwhile. I can easily recommend it, but, it's not suitable for children.

Set against the unforgiving backdrop of the Wild West, The Thicket tells the story of a mismatched group of individuals: Reginald Jones, a bounty hunter portrayed by Peter Dinklage; his loyal sidekick Eustace, played by Gbenga Akinnagbe; Jack, who enlists their help to rescue his kidnapped sister (Levon Hawke); Lula, the sister in peril (Esme Creed-Miles); and the menacing outlaw Cut Throat Bill, brought to life by Juliette Lewis.

This film evokes memories of Sergio Corbucci's spaghetti Westerns, yet it opts for a more subdued palette, emphasizing the darker aspects of its narrative and employing somber cinematographic techniques. It is only towards the conclusion that the visuals begin to brighten.

The storyline is populated with nefarious characters and unstable individuals, all too willing to inflict harm on anyone displaying courage or a strong moral compass. Consequently, the innocent siblings endure their share of hardships before they learn to adapt and survive in this brutal, unforgiving environment. Their plight is compounded by the tragic loss of their parents to smallpox and the murder of their grandfather (Guy Sprung) by Bill, which sets off this harrowing journey.

In summary, this film is likely to captivate those in search of a chilling, action-packed thriller that embraces its brutality and mercilessness with a haunting, macabre flair. Enjoy!

I nearly gave up in the first 10 minutes, they are so badly shot and cut.

"Oh god, is this going to be an IFC Midnight effort?" did I say.

But we held on. And suddenly. Without warning. We were watching this most *brilliant* film!!

It snuck up on us.

It's like the opening was done by somebody else in post, without any connection to rest of the project.

This really is a good film, it's an excellent film, it's possibly even a masterpiece. I don't know, I'll have to watch it again some day after the reality distortion has warn off.

It's trippy-as, and in that it reminds me of Dead Man by Jim Jarmusch. Another, excellent, 'Art Western'.

The Thicket seeeeeethes. It's a slow, increasingly nervous build to what you know is going to be one hell of a confrontation.

But it doesn't bore you, or even trust you! It gives you some stuff to entertain you with your popcorn along the way. It is full of awesome scenes!

Lewis deserves every kind of award for Cutthroat Bill.

Dinklage deserves the highest praise in the land for making the project happen.

All of the cast turned in superb performances.

The cinematography who cares (it doesn't even rate a mention these day - yes it's great in this film but it's good in complete piles of sludge too, often it's the only good thing about them).

The music is wonderful - it's like Brian/Roger Eno, or occasionally Boards of Canda. Electronic but not Ironic, it's subtle as hell, used sparingly and suits the mood.

From the absurd 5.something score on here I am guessing that nobody has seen The Thicket.

We need to get the word out and fix that!

If you haven't already, I highly recommend the original novel. The characters are much more hashed out, there is actual growth and change as the story progresses. The main story line more or less follows the novel, however, there is none of the emotional punch that the book was excellent at delivering. There is little chemistry among the main protagonists.

It all felt very rushed getting slotted into a 100 minute runtime. It has the same feeling of the failed "Dark Tower" film with Idris Elba. The actors gave it their best with a weak screenplay. Given the pull Peter Dinklage has, this should have been a 6-8 episode miniseries on HBO.

I'm a big fan of Westerns and The Thicket was a pleasant surprise in a day and age where Western films are so rare. Like most Westerns, the plot is simple; a bounty hunter is tasked with tracking down the kidnapped sister of his client.

Juliette Lewis is brilliant as the villain, barely recognizable, she gives a heck of a performance here as a layered villain with some decency left in her. She lives as a man, with a male name and if it weren't for the cast listing I'd never think she was a woman.

Peter Dinklage plays the bounty hunter and he's as brilliant as always. He brings 100% to the table in everything he does. During the quest to find the kidnapped girl, lots of things transpire, friendships are formed and survival tactics are put to use. I need to mention the set design here because it's A-level stuff. Beautiful sets, props, cinematography, and costume design.

I need to mention James Hetfield, a pleasant surprise seeing his cameo role in this film. Andrew Shultz, a famous NY comedian also has a cameo role in this film which was so surprising to see. Lots of themes are scattered throughout the film's plot, including the fine line between religion and literature.

The Thicket is available for free streaming on TUBI. Western fans will not be disappointed with this one unless you prefer non-modern Westerns, because this film takes place in the mid 1980s. The movie was shot on location in Calgary Alberta Canada, in the bitter cold, and the billowing cold breaths from the actors really added to the atmosphere.