THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN (2017)

With a decent Olde Timey Western story, a more than decent Olde Timey cast, even real Olde Timey 35mm film in the camera, this Montana-set tale of horse rustling, inheritance, State politics, railroad rights, murder & revenge ought to be better.  Briefly, after Montana’s first Senator-Elect Peter Fonda is ambushed hunting for a horse thief on his land, his body is brought home to wife Kathy Baker by longtime ranch-hand pal Lefty Brown (Bill Pullman).  Vowing to catch & punish the killers, Pullman finds this was no simple heist, but part of a complicated political power grab that leads all the way up to . . .  Well, we’ll leave it at that.  On the way, old friends will switch sides, invisible assassins will take shots, and he’ll join forces with youthful antagonist Stephen Alan Seder (a local Montanan in a winning debut).  So what’s the film’s problem?  Sum it up in three jobs & two words: writer/producer/director Jared Moshe.  Rare to see this level of sheer incompetence, especially in direction, what with all the professional protection on set.  Though, at first it can be hard to spot behind the modern taste for a constantly moving camera.  Since you never hold on ‘the right shot,’ you barely notice the ‘wrong’ ones while literally covering your tracks.  But with so much uncoordinated logistics in action set pieces that have to add up to have effect (sieges, shoot outs, stand-offs), it becomes impossible to miss.  (Plus, there’s a horribly misjudged ‘neck party’ finale.)  So, unless you’ve got a hankering to see Bill Pullman go the full Walter Brennan (admittedly rather entertaining), pass.*

WATCH THIS, NOT THAT/LINK:  *Though usually found in splashy supporting roles (with three Oscars to show for it), Brennan’s last win was more of a leading role against Gary Cooper in William Wyler’s THE WESTERNER    https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-westerner-1940.html

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY:  *F.W. Murnau revolutionized the moving camera shot & tracking with THE LAST LAUGH/’24.  But the modern taste for mindless continuous camera movement likely grew out of MTV music videos in the ‘80s.  After that, the deluge.