Gunslingers
Despite possess one of the most eclectic filmographies , it was n’t until a couple of years ago that Nicolas Cage made his westerly writing style debut withThe Old Wayand quickly followed it up withthe well - received version ofButcher ’s Crossing . Now , the Oscar winner is keeping his westerly music genre incumbency alive with the more military action - drivenGunslingers , but it unfortunately bear witness to be a tangible misfire more akin to his infamous VOD movie streak .
Written and directed by Brian Skiba , Gunslingerscenters on Stephen Dorffas Thomas Keller , a adult male who becomes the most - wanted fugitive in America after a violent incident puts a bloody-minded mob on his trail , hoping to claim the biggest H.M.S. Bounty ever offered . Thomas makes his way to a small Kentucky town , legendarily rumored to harbor fugitives who have fake their deaths and pop out fresh lives . When Thomas ' revenge - seeking brother record up , the town will become the plaza of an explosive gunfight putting all of their morals to the test .
Gunslingers' Story Lacks Any Kind Of Originality
Its Embracing Of Western Tropes Is More Droll Than Fun
Giventhe Western genreis one of the oldest and most well - trodden in cinematic history , it ’s certainly understandable that mod film producer will still utilize certain tropes for their stories . WithGunslingers , however , it feel like Skiba pulled the bulk of the image from the book to flesh out his write up , but rather than purely going for a tongue - in - cheek embracing of them , or subversive exploration of them , he aims for somewhere in the middle , which results in inconsistency .
It ’s Cage ’s quality , though , who stand up out as a key example of how tonally dissonantGunslingersis .
Whether it ’s Dorff ’s Thomas , ghost by his violent past and look for a peaceful life , Heather Graham ’s Val , an unhappily wed woman who turns to the brother of her married man for comfort , or even Cage ’s Ben , a former pitiless killer who has turned to religion to make up for his past , everyone has been in far good film . It ’s not needfully the player ' shift , as they do their best with the material they ’re given .
It ’s Cage ’s character , though , who stands out as a key example of how tonally dissonantGunslingersis . His general backstory may be a familiar one , but it is still one that could be compelling in a entirely dissimilar kind of movie . Instead , the thespian gives him a James Brown - like strained representative which , when merge with Skiba ’s focus on action mechanism over drama , makes him sense comfortably beseem for a motion-picture show that strictly goes for an unserious take on the Western genre rather than having brief allusion to drama .
The Movie’s Biggest Problem Is The Bizarre Sound Design
Everything Sounds Like It Was Recorded Underwater
While the lackluster account does n’t do the movie many favors , arguably the handsome defect ofGunslingersis its outre audio way out . From its opening succession through its closing deferred payment , I systematically discover myself taken out of the film by just how awful everything sounded , particularly the dialogue , which feel so miserable that it was almost as though they recorded everything with a crushed mike , or even submersed .
This is made all the worse when it come in to the picture ’s legal action sequence , because where the talks is low , the various sound effects for gunshot , explosions , and building devastation are so loud it felt like watching one ofMichael Bay ’s earlier motion-picture show . What makes this so tough is that the characters will often assay to have conversations amid the gunfire to coordinate their action , but the mixing is so wretched that everything altogether drowns them out , making it nigh out of the question to sympathise what anyone is saying and all the more frustrating .
Quick Cuts Make Some Deaths Nonsensical
With a movie that wants to put the legal age of its focus on its military action , in particular in the latter half of its story , it ’s really a dashing hopes that Skiba ’s direction sometimes undermines that aspect ofGunslingers . There are certainly a few shots that mould well , especially when Cage and Dorff ’s character reference get their sub moments taking down multiple hitman , and while the catamenia of the overall natural action could ’ve influence , it often sense a small too jerky .
Brett Donowho ’s westerly tale follows a typical formula , but there are plenty of laughs and smiling to be had throughout this familiar story .
The premier example of this issue is the various nameless goons who are shoot down during the elongated shootout inGunslingers ' latter one-half . As the theatrical role shoot from the cover of their public house , the henchmen are subsequently hit and obliterate , but the issue is they were never visualize in the first situation . This makes many of these putting to death not only find confused , but also moderately weightless . Overall , there ’s certainly bad to watch in the Western genre than Skiba ’s film , but there ’s also endless better choices than this .
Custom Image by Grant Hermanns
Gunslingershits theater of operations , digital platforms and VOD on April 11 .
Your Rating
Your commentary has not been saved
Cast
Gunslingers , release in 2025 , follow the topsy-turvydom unleashed in a small Kentucky townsfolk when America ’s most wanted world reappears . Amidst a vengeful syndicate and familial conflicts , the story unfold with vivid action as a skilled gunman demands retribution , leave a trail of destruction and settle gobs born of greed .
Gunslingers, released in 2025, follows the chaos unleashed in a small Kentucky town when America’s most wanted man reappears. Amidst a vengeful mob and familial conflicts, the narrative unfolds with intense action as a skilled gunslinger demands retribution, leaving a trail of destruction and settling scores born of greed.
