In recent years we have different types of Western in the cinema and on television. There is, for example, the Western as a great epic, as presented to us by Kevin Costner in Horizon. Or the Western as a family saga in the series Yellowstone, also led by Costner (at least for four seasons).
In addition, there are numerous westerns that go into the niche and play with other genre references. These include the British-New Zealand production Slow West, which was released in 2015 and features some extremely stylized, almost surreal images You can watch the film on TV tonight.
TV tip on Tuesday: Slow West is an idiosyncratic western with a terrific Michael Fassbender
The story of Slow West revolves around the young Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who decides to leave his homeland, Scotland, at the tender age of 16. He is drawn to Americabut not because of the prospect of gold and land. No, what drives him is much stronger than any natural resource in the world: love.
You can watch the trailer for Slow West here:
Slow West – Trailer (German) HD
Jay does everything he can to find the love of his life, Rose Ross (Caren Pistorius), in a country he does not know. And he is up to this challenge by no means grownHe awkwardly makes his way west. There he meets the outlaw Silas Selleck (Michael Fassbender).
Selleck prefers grim looks to words that explain what he really thinks. Contrary to all expectations, the shady character does not want to get at young Jay’s throat and so a unlikely friendship (of convenience)which leaves us wondering until the end whether Selleck will become a killer after all.
Fassbender plays this opaque character absolutely brilliantly and charges the film with additional tension. In general: With just 84 minutes, Slow West comes as extremely crisp western which is likely to surprise even die-hard fans of the genre with its pointed staging.
Western insider tip: When is Slow West on TV?
Slow West runs on the night from Thursday to Friday at 01:55 on Tele 5. The broadcast runs with advertising until 3:10 a.m. Alternatively, you can stream the film on Amazon Prime Video with various rental and purchase options.
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