Writer: Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain (Screenplay) Patrick DeWitt (Book)
Starring: John C Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed, Rebecca Root, Allison Tolman, Rutger Hauer
Plot: In 1850s Oregon, the infamous duo of assassins, Eli Sisters (John C. Reilly) and Charlie Sisters (Joaquin Phoenix), chase a gold prospector and his unexpected ally.
Tagline – Make a killing. Make a living.
Runtime: 2 Hours 2 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Slow
Story: The Sisters Brothers starts by following Eli (Reilly) and Charlie (Phoenix) as the two brothers are traveling across a developing America in search of Hermann Kermit Warm (Ahmed) who John Morris (Gyllenhaal) is escorting to show of his latest formula which could help America grow.
As the two pairs continue their journey, they start to seen the strengths and weaknesses coming through more, showing how they could see the mindset changing over time.
Thoughts on The Sisters Brothers
Characters – Eli is the calmer of the two brothers, he is willing to try a new invention and will do anything to watch over his brother. Charlie has always enjoyed a drink, which usually shows him letting his guard down, getting into fights, though he will become important during any battle. John Morris is meant to be tracking Warm, only he starts working with him trying to allude the Sisters brothers. Hermann Kermit Warm has created an idea which could bring the country together more than ever, his ideas will help, though it has also drawn a target on his back because of it.
Performances – We have four of the best actors in the business today in the leading roles, not even with their abilities, could we get saved from the mostly boredom this film puts us through.
Story – The story here takes us the 1850s America where four men are trying to make their way in the world, with two hunting the other two, only to learn that there is more in working together than killing each other. This is a story that drags along and is trying to put a highlight on the prospecting era in America. We don’t seem to get very deep into this idea before things start getting slow early and it just doesn’t really because that interesting in how things unfold.
Crime/Western – The crime and western themes balance well here showing us how both will be used to achieve what the men want from the story.
Settings – The film does have the nice backdrops where we get to see how the men are traveling open plains trying to get to the next locations on their story.
Scene of the Movie – Water side shootout.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The pace is so slow.
Final Thoughts – This is an uninteresting western that moves are a poor pace which never gets going, despite having a brilliant cast.
Overall: Dull.