The 2024 western film The Thicket is an almost hidden gem. Little to no marketing and streaming just under the radar, it could have faded from sight.
Behind the Camera
Directed by Elliott Lester from a screenplay written by Chris Kelley and Joe R. Lansdale based on Lansdale’s novel of the same name. The Thicket is odd, quirky and violent. It is also dark. The cinematography by Guillermo Garza ensures that every frame is lit in the half-light of winter. There is little sun and a lot of cloud. Most of the exterior scenes look dingy and murky.
Editor Jean-Christophe Bouzy snaps everything together with and intense artistic touch. Nothing is out of place here. Production Design and Art Direction: Justin Ludwig and Edward Smith Taylor respectively put us in the time period effectively.
the story
The Parker family are on the move after John and Lula’s parents die from smallpox. On the way to Kansas City, they have the misfortune run across Cutthroat Bill the outlaw and her gang. The aftermath of their meeting leaves Grandad dead, Lula kidnapped and John unconscious.
Reginald Jones and Eustace Hollow bump into John while running away from a gang trying to shoot them. The three team up to rescue Lula from Bill.
It turns out to be a daunting task.
The Main Cast
Peter Dinklage is Jones.
Juliette Lewis is Bill.
Levon Hawke is John.
Esme Creed-Miles is Lula.
Gbenga Akinnagbe is Eustace.
Leslie Grace is Jimmy Sue.
Dinklage and Lewis soar in their roles here. All the cast manage to knock it out of the park. Dinklage convinces effortlessly and Lewis is truly off putting as the deranged killer. She is, in a word?
Scary.
Hawke, Creed-Miles, Grace and Akinnagbe put a lot of truth in their roles as do the rest of the cast.
one small problem
There is one small problem with the film however. In the gunfight scenes, no one reloads. Granted, there is one scene where someone actually runs out of ammo, but, that is the exception.
This is a busy film
There is a lot going on in The Thicket. There are two kidnappings. A number of shootings and some of the best acting this side of the Mississippi. Good westerns are hard to find nowadays. This one with its unlikely cast of antiheroes feels as legitimate as, say; Unforgiven. The Thicket has a lot in common with Eastwood’s final western, it too is bleak.
It’s Cold
The Thicket is a film set in winter. Every character’s breath spews out white plumes of smoke. It is cold. Jones and Bill are cold in a different way. There are some scenes so violent that they are cringe worthy. Almost every main character unreservedly turns to extreme violence when needed.
Backstory
Two of the main characters have revealing backstories. Jones worked with Annie Oakley. Bill became mentally unstable after her equally disturbed mother tortured her. Even Jimmy Sue was conned into coming west.
The verdict
The Thicket is, apparently, a film that was a labour of love for Dinklage. The cast, the script and the crew have turned out a splendid western here. The film earns a solid 5 stars. It is streaming on Tubi for free right now.
the trailer
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