Watch Jane Got a Gun For Free

Undescribable Perfection

Fantastic!

A different way of telling a story

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

As we come to the inevitable conclusion of Jane Got a Gun, the overriding thought which permeates me brain is "why"? Inherited by Gavin O'Connor (Warrior, Miracle) after the original director Andrea Arnold hightailed it to greener pastures, one wonders what was in this revisionist western storyline to attact all involved. Even 90's trash like Bad Girls had women doing something but this oater still eschews a woman needing a man to get the job done. Westerns from the 50's may've been simplistic but they laid the foundation of what this slight story can't get right. The stunt casting of Star Wars prequel actors Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor & Joel Edgerton ("Hello my name is Owen & this is my hetero-life mate Beru.") can't elevate the superficial tale from the terrain it came from. Skip it!

Bill Hammond (Noah Emmerich) with four bullet holes makes it back to his wife Jane (Natalie Portman,co-producer) and warns her the Bishop boys are coming. Jane tries to get help but her husband has a bounty on him. She eventually gets help from Dan Frost (Joel Edgerton) a man who she was once engaged. We know it is New Mexico 1871 and everything else is a mystery. Who are the Bishop boys? What is the history of this conflict? We are feed the information slowly getting half the story at about 30 minutes and the other half at about an hour.This is a fairly typical western. There is some shooting, killing, horses, and drama. I thought there was too much drama. Natalie Portman reminded me of Demi Moore, tough girl in her performance. Yes, Jane got a gun, but that wasn't overly significant to the tale. I think the author may have been influenced by the Aerosmith song, which didn't play during the closing credits either, but I couldn't help thinking about it. The mystery aspect and flashbacks ate up much of the movie as we awaited the final confrontation with over formula results.Guide: F-words. Implied rape. No nudity.

Jane Got a Gun is directed by Gavin O'Connor and collectively written by Brian Duffield, Anthony Tambakis and Joel Edgerton. It stars Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, Ewan McGregor, Noah Emmerich, Boyd Holbrook and Rodrigo Santoro. Music is by Marcello De Francisci and Lisa Gerrard and cinematography is by Mandy Walker.Jane Hammond (Portman) has to turn to her ex lover, Dan Frost (Edgerton), for help when it's revealed that the notorious Bishop gang are heading her way in search of her husband Bill (Emmerich).It's going to be one of those films more talked about for what it could have been than what it is. Changes in production staff were unbound, from director, writer, photographer and some big name cast changes, it was a production blighted and destined to be on a loser. It hasn't helped that with it being a slow paced character based picture, and a Western at that, the market for a fan base was already running low on potential supporters. So what we left with?It undoubtedly is one for hard core Western fans only, it's hard to envisage newcomers entering into the genre for the first time, perhaps lured by the casting of Portman, being won over to the point of seeking out other classic Westerns of past and present. Yet it's got a lot going for it, because if you have the want, then it may just take a second viewing to fully absorb and enjoy. At its core it's a straight Oater of redemption, opportunities waylaid by fate, and of course a good old good versus bad axis. Relying on a flashback structure to set up the character dynamics, it can get a bit disorientating at times, hence the shout out for a second viewing. However, it may not be the perfect way to build the principal characters, but they are worth the investment for there's a big emotional pull there.Having laid the foundation for the first two thirds of the pic, we shift to good old honest violence, for siege read backs against the wall, and not without invention, in fact there's much resourcefulness on show, with Jane at times very much leading the way. The last third pays off handsomely, even if there's the (arguably) inevitable sugar coated candy to swallow as part of the final deal. Cast are dandy and turning in perfs of note, though it needed more of McGregor's John Bishop, because with what little he gets he does make a villainous mark.It looks terrific, Walker's photography bringing to mind the genre work of Roger Deakins, with the New Mexico locations blistering in their beauty, and while the sound mix for dialogue exchanges is a little poor, the musical score is thumping in its tonal appreciations. It's tricky to recommend with confidence even to Western fans, especially in a year when "Jane" had to compete with the more rambunctious Magificent Seven reboot, but give it a chance if you liked something like Slow West, and you may just be pleasantly surprised. 7/10

Jane Got a Gun (2016) is an unremarkable yet somewhat entertaining Western. I usually will not mention the production processes behind movies, but this one has notoriously become an abysmal one. The original director dropped out, multiple stars came and went, and the entire release date was pushed back for two entire years. The whole situation would make it seem like this film is a hot mess, but it actually wasn't. It may not necessarily be a wholesome watch, but there are a surprising amount of redeemable qualities. The acting was really solid, the direction was firm, and some of the shots were breathtaking. Many parts felt flat, the action scenes were underwhelming and the plot was forgettable at best. I went in here expecting a strong female-based role, but even that fell flat. Though nothing here was truly terrible, there was nothing that drew me in. 'Jane Got a Gun' is truly run-of- the-mill, but the production disaster behind it should cement its place in cinema history.