western Archives - Movies In Focus

Uncovering Curiosities: Jon Cassar’s FORSAKEN

If you’re looking for a straightforward western with a great cast then Forsaken is the movie for you. Kiefer Sutherland joins forces with his father Donald for the first time (they never shared a screen in Joel Schumacher’s A Time To Kill), [...]

February 14, 2021

Behind The Scenes: James Mangold Directs Hugh Jackman On The Set Of LOGAN

A neo-western told through the prism of a comic book movie, James Mangold’s Logan takes Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and breaks him into a thousand pieces, rebuilding him as a tragic character approaching the twilight of his life. Jackman’s [...]

January 17, 2021

Notebook Reviews: UNFORGIVEN

Clint Eastwood – 1992 Unforgiven is the culmination of Clint Eastwood‘s career as a western star. This gritty revisionist western features a wonderful cast giving great performances. Eastwood is his usual strong and silent type and [...]

November 26, 2020

The Great Opening Of HIGH NOON

With one of the greatest opening sequences in film history, Fred Zinneman’s High Noon kicks-off in an outstanding fashion and this 1952 film just gets better and better as it builds towards its climax. Zinnemann delivers one of the great [...]

November 22, 2020

Notebook Reviews: RAVENOUS

Antonia Bird – 1999 A bizarre and darkly comic horror-western, Antonia Bird’s Ravenous is a uniquely entertaining slice of cinema. The film features some great set-pieces and the first hour is stunning – it loses some momentum [...]

November 18, 2020

Notebook Reviews: WILD WILD WEST

Barry Sonnenfeld – 1999 Director Barry Sonnefeld‘s Wild Wild Wild West is much better than the reviews make out. Will Smith and Kevin Kline are on fine form, although the latter is under-used. Kenneth Branagh and Salma Hayek offer-up [...]

October 31, 2020

Teaser Trailer For NEWS OF THE WORLD – The New Western From Tom Hanks & Paul Greengrass

The last time that Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass teamed-up to make a film, we got the brilliant Captain Phillips. I expect the same type of quality from News Of The World, a new western set for release this Christmas (I wouldn’t count on [...]

October 7, 2020

Uncovering Curiosities: Mateo Gil’s BLACKTHORN

Director Mateo Gil’s Blackthorn is a revisionist western starring the late Sam Shepard, that supposes that Butch Cassidy didn’t die in his infamous shootout with the Bolivian army (alongside The Sundance Kid) in 1908, but that he lived in the [...]

September 17, 2020

Uncovering Curiosities: Lance Daly’s BLACK ’47

Director Lance Daly’s 2018 release, Black ’47 is a western-tinged revenge tale set amongst the backdrop of the Great Irish Famine (An Gorta Mór). It’s a gritty tale, which uses the darkest point in Irish history as a stepping-off point [...]

September 4, 2020

Behind The Scenes: Marlon Brando Directing The Western ONE-EYED JACKS

The mighty Marlon Brando starred-in and directed the 1961 western One-Eyed Jacks. The film is an uneven piece for sure, but you can’t deny Brando’s screen presence in this tale of revenge. The plot sees Brando’s rugged Rio seeking payback on [...]

September 3, 2020

The Great Train Robbery Sequence In THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD

Released in 2007, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was a commercial flop on its release. That’s a huge shame because Andrew Dominik’s western is a glorious piece of cinema. It cost $30 million to produce, but [...]

August 17, 2020

Poster & Trailer For Horror/Western THE PALE DOOR

Movies In Focus is getting serious From Dusk Till Dawn vibes from this poster for The Pale Door. The western–horror looks like it might deliver some effect low budget thrills, but I think that the Aaron B. Koontz film won’t be any type [...]

July 29, 2020