Who says the Western is dead? The genre hasn’t been less in need of a comeback than it is right now, and this year has seen many different interpretations of the Old West. The most unsparing of them all is The Thicket, a longtime passion project of star and producer Peter Dinklage (we first covered it in 2014), this brutal adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale’s book features memorably grizzled characters in a lawless, icy frontier seeking vengeance, redemption, a family, or money…whichever comes first. While it doesn’t break the genre mold, The Thicket is another strong entry for those who crave the violent conflicts and broken morality tales of the Old West.
Dinklage takes the role of Reginald Jones, a quietly fearsome bounty hunter at the turn of the 20th-century. Along with his companion Eustace Howard (Gbenga Akinnagbe), a former slave, he finds himself on the hunt for ruthless outlaw Cutthroat Bill (Juliette Lewis) for the kidnapping of a young girl, Lula (Esme Creed-Miles), stolen away from her brother Jack (Blink Twice‘s Levon Hawke), who will stop at nothing to find her. The plot is straight-forward and fitting of the genre. It’s the characters who make it stand out most, including how they are introduced.
Ultimately a film about people seeking some semblance of family, The Thicket contrasts the opposing sides at every turn. Lula and Jack are introduced as they are mourning the deaths of their parents due to a disease outbreak. On the other side, Bill (short for Wilhemina) crashes a different funeral, raids the casket to the shock of mourners, and claims something from the corpse. Bill’s hideously scarred face matches her ugliness on the inside. For large portions of the film, we see Bill traveling from place to place, picking fights with innocents and leaving them dead. She has an obsession with pretty things, and when confronted with Lula she steals her away, leaving Jack unconscious and unsure what do do. All of the Bible verses he spouts aren’t going to help him with something like this.
It’s easy to see why Dinklage fought so long to have the chance to play Reginald Jones. First of all, there aren’t a ton of gunslinging bounty hunter roles out there for actors like Dinklage, so to claim this one is a pretty sweet deal. Jones is tough; he endures a lot of insults because of his stature. But those who underestimate him usually meet with a dire fate. Early on, after he and Howard dig a grave for $2 and the customer refuses to pay, choosing to humiliate Jones instead…well, it doesn’t end happily for the bullying party. Jones doesn’t enter into this rescue mission for Lula or for Jack, necessarily, but to claim the hefty bounty on Bill’s head.
Stealing the film away from Dinklage is Lewis’ fiery portrayal of Cutthroat Bill. While Noomi Rapace had been originally cast in the role (and probably would’ve been great, too), it feels like a comeback role for Lewis because we haven’t seen her do anything this substantive in a long time. There are odd complexities to Bill that make her difficult to get a handle on. She cuts a brutal, murderous swath along her journey, using her mangled face to intimidate people before she kills them. But even she has a code, twisted though it might be. She won’t allow her male companions to lay a finger on Lula, suggesting her own traumatized upbringing. Moments of lucidity reveal a vulnerable side that she keeps very well hidden away from others.
Chris Kelley’s screenplay knows how to drive the action. Every scene has a purpose and there’s always some kind of violence right around the corner. Conflicts arise as Jack and Jones’ party grows in size. Jack’s too naive for this unflinching world and Jones isn’t having it, but he also becomes something akin to a mentor to the young man. Too many characters threaten to get in the way, though. West Side Story‘s Leslie Grace plays a reformed prostitute, Jimmy Sue, who needs rescuing so she can enter into an unnecessary love story with Jack. It couldn’t have felt more forced in this kind of story. We also get actor/filmmaker Macon Blair (of Blue Ruin fame) as the most timid member of a posse sent to apprehend Jones. There are so many people to keep track of that it takes focus away from the most interesting ones and muddles our understanding of them to some degree.
Director Elliott Lester makes the most of the wide, snowy landscapes to capture the harshness of the period and the cruelty of its people. It’s clear this is a small-budgeted affair, but the limited production values actually work in The Thicket‘s favor, presenting a desolate, haunting atmosphere from which few can emerge unscathed. In another strong year for Westerns, The Thicket is one that fans must seek out.
The Thicket opens in theaters on September 6th.
