The best thing about the reemergence of Westerns as a popular genre is that we're seeing many different takes on it. Some take a more traditional approach like The Salvation, others such as Slow West are comedies, we've seen horrors like Bone Tomahawk, and HBO's Westworld uses sci-fi. But we've seen an increase of Westerns from the female perspective, and that's where Brimstone comes in.
Winter in Wartime's Martin Koolhoven is at the helm, working an excellent cast led by Dakota Fanning, Guy Pearce, Emilia Jones, plus Game of Thrones stars Kit Harington and Carice van Houten. The film follows Liz, a simple country who is accused by a vengeful reverend of a crime she didn't commit. Here's a deeper look at the synopsis...
Liz has a quiet country life on a farm with her kind-hearted husband and children, but we immediately sense that things are too good to be true. One Sunday, a mysterious new reverend (Guy Pearce) gives his inaugural sermon, and Liz fills with terror; her past has come back to haunt her. Following the service, a local woman goes into labour on the church floor. Through no fault of Liz’s, the birth goes woefully wrong. When the woman’s husband seeks revenge, the reverend comes to the rescue of Liz and her family — though he warns that punishment will soon befall her. The next day, the family’s sheep are found slaughtered, Liz is sequestered, and her daughter is kidnapped. Thus begins a nigh-biblical sequence of events involving blood, fire, and an epic years-long odyssey spanning states and territories.
I don't recall hearing much about it after playing at Venice, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. The film will open some time in 2017.
