Forsaken (2015)

** ½ out of ****

“Forsaken” is a mostly forgettable western with one fairly unforgettable thing in it. Which absolutely makes it worth seeing......

Kiefer Sutherland plays John Henry Clayton, a Civil War veteran who became a gunman and assassin after finishing his military service. He hasn't been back to his hometown in many years, and as the film begins he feels the need to return. There he finds his father William (Donald Sutherland), the town Reverend, who is none too welcoming because of John Henry's past. He also finds the girl he left behind (Demi Moore) and the rest of the hometown contingent, some of whom are welcoming and some who would have preferred he stay away. John Henry wants to hang up his guns and live a simpler life..... but of course the town is being taken over by roughnecks working for a land baron intent on buying up all the local farms.

Sound familiar? It should – we've seen it a million times.

But it plays out pretty nicely, despite the familiarity of the story. It's also really great to see Kiefer and Donald playing father and son, as I don't ever recall them sharing the screen before. The story they give us is all very predictable and melodramatic, despite everyone doing everything they can in a script with no surprises in it.....

….but then something surprising happens.....

I have always enjoyed Kiefer's acting, though I have never thought him a particularly gifted thespian. He's been solid if unspectacular, and very occasionally does something really poorly (like his southern accent in “A Few Good Men”). But he plays a scene late in the movie that actually floored me. In it, he and his Reverend father sit in the church as John Henry describes the events that have driven him to want to change his life. Kiefer is really, really fantastic in this scene. The pain and self hatred he portrays – I really felt it. In my opinion, that one scene may very well be the apex of his career. I hope history doesn't completely lose it buried in this otherwise unmemorable film.

If you enjoy a decent western where you aren't going to be challenged to think much, this is a perfect film for you. That isn't meant to be an insult, as I genuinely love some similar movies (“Shane” for instance, or “Pale Rider”). Rather it's one where you can turn off your brain, hate the bad guys and wait for them to get their come-uppance, which everyone knows they eventually will.  I think there will always be a place in cinema for that.