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Visit the brutal trail of 'Meek's Cutoff'

14.09.11

Best extra: The one and only extra, 10-minutes of behind-scenes footage in standard-def; no interviews

AT TIMES THIS bleak Western has Terrence Malick written all over it, blending poetic imagery and minimal dialogue with stark realism. Then it switches to the grandeur of legendary director John Ford, the granddaddy of the genre that made John “Duke” Wayne a megastar in “Stagecoach” (1939), “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” (1949), “The Searchers” (1956) and “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962).

Known for her thought provoking films, indie director Kelly Reichardt takes us on a slow and terrifying epic across the dusty high desert of Oregon. Based on a true story, three nineteenth-century families hope to settle beyond the distant Cascade Mountains. They hire a mountain scout, Stephen Meek played by Bruce Greenwood, who claims to have a shortcut. The route takes the pioneers through an ordeal of fear, faith and intolerance. The flawless cast includes Michelle Williams as Emily Tetherow as one of the toiling wives, who’s not afraid to use a musket. It’s a reunion for Reichardt and Williams who worked together in the gem “Wendy and Lucy,” about a drifter and her dog.

Source: The Virginian-Pilot