Damsel

This is "subversionist western" at its least emotional. There's a very good movie somewhere in this script, but the Zellners arent wise enough to execute to their full potential here. The cinematography, score, and acting (especially from David Zellner who channels the best of Woody Harrelson to combine it with a wimpier persona) all shoot well above par, making watching Damsel rather enjoyable. There are isolated moments that approach near perfection, but unlike better Westerns there is not the tonal confidence to glue the rest together. The Zellners set up rather intriguing backstories for the characters only to never explain them and squander the runtime on a three-quarters-baked attempt at cranking up a Coen brothers blend of comedy. It's usually very funny and well meaning, but I can't quite shake the feeling that this movie would have done better without repeated depictions of how strong the lone female character is against a slew of weak-minded males. The message is fine, but the time spent on it and the hammer over the head tone is apalling at times. It feels like they ran out of things to write about in the middle of the second act. In the end this movie gives you a lot to chew on but not much to really sink your teeth into.

The type of Western that you could see the Coen Brothers putting their name behind, Damsel is further proof that there's life in the age-old genre yet as filmmaking duo David and Nathan Zellner take us on a darkly comedic trip to the wild west. It's not to say Damsel is a roaring success, as its slowly paced and rather emotion-free experience is often far too ponderous and cold for its own good, but the twisting, turning and non-conforming tale the Zellner's have created is an odd beast that is sure to find its fair share of fans amongst the many likely detractors. Filmed in the eye-capturing surrounds of the American wilds, Damsel is a pretty sight indeed that's anchored by creative actors Mia Wasikowska and Robert Pattinson, as the two young lovers reunite after years apart, as the Zellner's take us on a zany journey through a time and place that was filled with more than its fair portion of colourful and cuckoo characters, all on a quest to find meaning and purpose in a harsh unforgiving land, filled with much promise and even more dreaming. We never really get much of a backstory or foundation of where Wasikowska's competent Penelope or where Pattinson's more dim-witted but well-meaning Samuel Alabaster come from or what shaped them into the people they are as we meet them but it's quite clear we can gather Samuel has been on some type of journey (with a miniature pony in tow), it's just a shame we couldn't get to partake in any of it, as the Zellner's choose not to relay any of this in Damsel's near two hour run-time. It's a runtime that at times draws to a near halt as the story at the heart of it flows rather slowly and despite the good work of Wasikowska and Pattinson, Damsel struggles to maintain an energy and vibe to keep it going and you do wish that someone like the aforementioned Coen Brothers could've lead the charge here as Damsel feels as though it had the potential to be quite special. There's brief moments where darkly attuned humour and hilarious encounters (Adams apple comparisons and town hangings) happen throughout Damsel, while David Zellner's side character Parson Henry and other oddball creations add spark to proceedings at certain times but it's not enough to enlighten the film as a whole as you feel as though Damsel missed the opportunity to maximize its unique tale. Final Say - Damsel is a curious entry into the western genre with some nice moments of black humor and well-staged strange happenings but overall the Zellner's film ends up being a rather forgettable feature. 2 ½ miniature ponies out of 5

This film should have been a short film and it may have been good... but it felt drawn out to its full film length .... at first the dialogue was interesting and whimsical but then became pretentious and obvious .... there were parts when the actors seemed in character with a western accent and ye olde vocabulary and there were others where they seemed to make no effort at all just throwing out modern slang and slander like dropping f bombs... it just threw you out of the movie. The twist I could see a mile off..... however all the actors felt like they just came "on set" clothing looking fresh. Some of the dialogue between the characters goes no where.... which is you feel at the end of the film .... just gone none where.

If you want John Wayne, or Unforgiven, steer clear. If you want a peppermint toothpaste of a Western, that has great casting and intelligent quirks, you'll love it. I loved this movie.

Much funnier than I imagined it would be. All actors play amazing, well-rounded characters. There is loads of cursing and quite a bit of blood, but overall this film is a cross between the outrageous humor of My Name Is Nobody and the dead seriousness of The Long Riders. This is not one of those "Westerns" where everything is re-imagined into a porno flick (taking us back to the 70s with The Great Scout and Cathouse Thursday) or an unbelievable bloodbath (Django Unchained). This is how the West really was--filled with mumbling, bumbling, stumbling real people--most of them nefarious--trying to conquer a vast space of land without community, love for nature or God, and the law of the heart.