I get it. You see that Nicolas Cage is starring in a Western that you probably never heard of, and the inclination is to dismiss it just one of the half-dozen movies he has coming out in 2023. But wait, don’t overlook Butcher’s Crossing quite so fast. Not only is the film based on John Edward Williams’ incredible 1960 novel, but reviews coming out of last year’s TIFF had high praise for Cage’s performance.
Cage stars alongside Fred Hechinger (Fear Street) in the story of a mysterious frontiersman who embarks on an arduous journey with a Harvard graduate seeking adventure in the Old West.
Also in the cast are Rachel Keller, Paul Raci, Xander Berkley, and Jeremy Bobb.
The film is directed and co-written by Gabe Polsky, who in 2013 co-directed a very impressive adaptation of The Motel Life. I don’t think I’ve seen anything from him since, and that only makes me want to see this more.
Butcher’s Crossing hits theaters on October 20th. Here’s the synopsis and trailer below.
SYNOPSIS: Based on the seminal novel by John Edward Williams, Gabe Polsky’s epic frontier adventure, Butcher’s Crossing, is a riveting commentary on human nature, ambition, masculinity, and man’s relationship to his natural environment. Academy Award™ winner Nicolas Cage (1996, Best Actor, Leaving Las Vegas) stars in a gritty story about buffalo hunters in the Old West. Will Andrews has left Harvard to find adventure. He teams up with Miller, a mysterious frontiersman offering an unprecedented number of buffalo pelts in a secluded valley. Their crew must survive an arduous journey where the harsh elements will test everyone’s resolve, leaving their sanity on a knife’s edge.
