Plot
The tale of an outlaw who escapes from prison and sets out across the Texas hills to reunite with his wife and the daughter he has never met.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 7.0/10 (494 voted)
Director:David Lowery
Storyline
The tale of an outlaw who escapes from prison and sets out across the Texas hills to reunite with his wife and the daughter he has never met.
Caught this at Sundance where the buzz surrounding it was pretty high.
Did it live up to the hype? Yes and No.
As almost every reviewer has noted, it is a return to the Terrance
Malick/Robert Altman-style outlaw lovers films of the 70s. Lots of long
lingering visuals of country places and lots of deeply-felt brooding by
the main characters. Not bad for that kind of film, but frankly nothing
to write home about.
The three leads are very good, as is Keith Carradine. The music and
photography are great (though I think there is an over abundance of mid
and close shots in a film that screams out for long deep focus
photography). Yet, somehow, it doesn't quite jell. A lot of this could
be due to its slow pace. Another element may be the reluctance of the
writer/director to dole out plot points (you know, like when someone
reads an important letter, but we don't find out what is inside until
15 minutes later).
All in all, it is fairly good for what it is. I am sure it will garner
positive response from critics. Still, somehow the whole is less than
the sum of its parts.
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