Author's judgement:
This week we bring you a new genre of western film: twilight and theatrical. It is the story of two professional killer brothers hired to take out a mysterious chemist during the epic moment of the gold rush in the United States' Wild West in the late 800s. The Sisters brothers tell of an era now on its way to decline, the civilization of the XNUMXth century is upon us with the arrival of the railways, the development of the electricity grid and the native Indians confined to reserves and now pacified: from this point of view, the film is in the wake of the classics of the genre: the director Jacques Audiard (with this film he won the Silver Lion at the recent Venice Film Festival and, before that, numerous other prestigious international awards) skilfully mixes the great scenarios, the endless prairies, the shootings inside and outside the saloons with intimate dialogues together with reflections deep into the meaning of life.
The story begins with a task entrusted to him by a mysterious and powerful commodore (a brief appearance by Rutger Hauer). The objective is to kill an ambiguous character who allegedly stole his gold and dollars. However, this character is also a chemist who knows a secret formula for isolating the precious metal from the rough stones at the bottom of the streams and around this manhunt, between chases and shootings, the destiny of the two brothers is fulfilled. The first images are crackling: a shooting in the dark of night, only flashes of pistols and rifles and you immediately understand the "professionalism" of the two brothers.
In their ruthless work as hired killers, they also consider themselves good and capable and admit that they are not able to do anything better. As far as we see, they succeed as well. However, the film immediately takes an unusual turn, anomalous in the common perception of the film genre. The dialogues between the two brothers take us back to their childhood, to their violent father from whom they may have been imprinted, to the fraternal relationships that bind them inextricably. The narration of the film continues for the most part on this track, attracting and intriguing the viewer who always remains suspended, waiting for something that seems bound to happen at any moment.
Something happens, the eventful episodes as well as the glimpses of the world of the West close to epochal change, are not lacking and are very suggestive. However, everything appears to be packaged more for a theatrical rather than a cinematic dimension. The sequences of endless grasslands as well as snow-capped mountains seen so many times come to mind. To stay with recent titles of the genre we mention only Quentin Tarantino with The hateful eight, exactly the opposite of what happens in this film, assumes a widely and profoundly typical interpretation of the big screen. About the aforementioned Tarantino film, an episodic series has been announced for Netflix. Nothing to do with Once Upon a Time in the West by Sergio Leone (1968) where even the twilight of an era was already read in the title. In this case, however, a spirit of narration is more appreciated, a writing that points straight to the heart of individuals rather than on the symbols, on the icons of the genre.
It is probable that the pure and die-hard fans of this type of film may be disappointed (although, as written, the fundamental ingredients are all respected) for not finding that fantastic sense and action that one might expect. However, especially in the second part of the film, everything is stitched together and compacted into a film product that respects the traditional canons of this type of film. The two protagonists deserve the last notation: John C. Reilly (Eli) and Joaquin Phoenix (Charlie). Of the latter it is worth mentioning a dated and interesting 8mm – Crime in red lights directed by Joel Schumacher (1999).
