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Parents' Guide to

Slow West

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Very good, very strange, and very bloody absurdist Western.

Movie R 2015 84 minutes
Slow West Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

Gjinger
Gjinger Adult
November 13, 2018
age 18+

Compelling, but a bit confusing

Note that there is male nudity in this movie. A man's buttocks is shown twice. There are also two scenes with implied male nudity, and several scenes of men in nothing but long-underwear. I am surprised Common Sense Media gave this only a 1 out of 5 on Sexual Content. . . Be warned, parents.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In 1870, young Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) crosses the Western frontier alone, searching for his beloved Rose (Caren Pistorius). Finding himself held at gunpoint by a band of killers, Jay is suddenly rescued by an outlaw, Silas (Michael Fassbender). Silas offers to take Jay to his destination for a fee, and off they ride. They have many strange, absurd, and troubling encounters before running into Payne (Ben Mendelsohn), a former cohort of Silas'. Then Jay learns that Rose has become a wanted outlaw, the target of bounty hunters. Jay tries to get to Rose in time to protect her, but Silas may have other plans.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

Writer/director John Maclean -- a musician and former member of The Beta Band -- makes a noteworthy feature debut with this Western. SLOW WEST definitely revels in the glories of the genre; it's filled with beautifully composed shots, graceful movements, and masterful uses of color, light, and dark -- not to mention striking images of man at odds with his environment. Many shots are simply beautiful, such as one in which Jay pauses to listen to some music. Others are bemused, such as when Jay wanders into the wrong camp and overhears an amusing story.

But this is no traditional Western; Maclean's taste for the absurd creeps in around the edges -- as when the characters coolly observe the corpse of a man crushed by a tree he was chopping down -- sometimes causing unexpected laughs. The cast is terrific, especially Fassbender, who makes a fine Western outlaw, even if his character is kept at a bit of a distance through murky motivations.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Slow West's violence. What effect does it have? Is it shocking? Thrilling? How does the movie achieve this? Do you think all of it is necessary to the story? Does exposure to violent movies make kids more aggressive?

  • What do you think makes the characters drink in this story? What are the consequences? Are they realistic?

  • What's the appeal of the Western genre? Why is it less popular now than it once was? Is it still a worthwhile genre?

  • Is Jay a role model? Why or why not?

Movie Details

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