#TerrorOnThePrairie Okay, serious thoughts (spoilers): Good movie. Slow to start, but once the proper action gets going it's tense as fuck and incredibly gritty and realistic. I'd be hard pressed to name a western with more attention to the gunplay and tactics.
@ginacarano sells the HELL out of her part, though the guy playing her husband is a bit stilted in his dialogue. Nick Searcy is an utterly detestable villain and it's incredibly satisfying to watch him and his scummy band get picked off.
To my honest surprise, it isn't "piss off liberals: the movie". It's a serious, earnest work that refrains from going down a checklist of progressive sacred cows to slaughter. The conservative viewpoint that undergirds it is clear but not anvil-dropping.
In fact, the obnoxiously bible-thumping former Confederate character is the villain, and it's made very plain that while the Civil War was a horrible event all around and nobody's hands were clean, the Confederacy were unambiguously the wrong side.
As for my biggest question going in: "were @TheQuartering et al being hypocrites to praise this, when they surely would have dismissed the same storyline as a "muh stronk wahmen!" film had anyone else made it?" The answer is...I don't really think so, no.
There are some clear differences in how this movie approaches the idea of a "strong woman" from the conventional approach. Gina's character is actually completely untrained and unskilled. It's even remarked on that she's a terrible shot. All she has is her wits and her will.
And that's enough. She makes up for poor aim with cleverness, tactics, and situational awareness. She's a realistic example of a civilian who keeps their head and discovers their own inner fortitude in a desperate situation. And it's not easy, she's beat to hell by the end.
The film also doesn't engage in any tearing men down to build her up. Her husband is brave, virtuous, loyal, and strong. Even her 9 year old son carries his weight as best as could plausibly be expected. The male villains they overcome are effective and dangerous.
I believe this is a model that other studios could emulate if they wished, to win over people otherwise skeptical of "strong female characters".
This film was well worth watching, I highly recommend, and I say that as someone who generally finds Westerns trite.
This film was well worth watching, I highly recommend, and I say that as someone who generally finds Westerns trite.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
