THICKET, THE
(director: Elliott Lester; screenwriters: Chris Kelley, novel by Joe R. Lansdale; cinematographer: Guillermo Garza; editor: Jean-Christophe Bouzy; music: Ray Suen; cast: Levon Hawke (Jack Parker), Peter Dinklage (Reginald Jones), Juliette Lewis (Cut throat Bill), Esma Creed-Miles (Lula), Andrew Schulz (Hector), James Hetfield (Simon Deasy), Leslie Grace (Jimmy Sue), Ghenga Akinnaghe (Eustace Hollow); Runtime: 108; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Peter Dinklage, David Ginsberg, Shannon Gaulding, Elliott Lester, Andre L III, Gianni Nunnari, Caddy Vanasinkul; Samuel Goldwyn Films/Tubi; 2024)
“Lewis and Dinklage provide the star power, while the ensemble cast are fine in supporting roles.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Elliott Lester (“Blitz”/” Nightingale”) directs and Chris Kelley writes the screenplay for their authentic looking but flawed (the storytelling has lapses) turn of the 20th century rousing indie western based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Joe R. Lansdale.
Jack Parker (Levon Hawke) is a devout Christian young man in the Old West whose parents died from smallpox, his grandfather was killed, and his teen sister Lula (Esmé Creed-Miles) has been kidnapped by the ruthless butch gang leader Cut Throat Bill (Juliette Lewis) and her violent gang. Why she’s kidnapped is a mystery.
The grizzled bounty hunter, a dwarf named Reginald Jones (Peter Dinklage), is a gravedigger by trade who moonlights as a gunslinger for the extra money. He’s hired by Jack to rescue Lula. Reginald takes the job when a $10,000 reward for her capture is posted. He has a history with the outlaw. She once told him he’s “the shortest man she ever saw,” and he replied she was “the ugliest man he ever saw.”
The pair of rescuers hit the trail in West Texas joined by a few outcasts – a grave-digging ex-slave (Ghenga Akinnaghe) and a street smart prostitute (Leslie Grace). Their pursuit leads them into the deadly isolated place known as The Thicket.
Lewis and Dinklage provide the star power, while the ensemble cast are fine in supporting roles. Evidently it’s still possible to bring back the old-fashioned western, if done right.
REVIEWED ON 9/3/2024 GRADE: B
dennisschwartzreviews.com