Dinklage, Lewis are guns ablazing in ‘The Thicket’
Journeyman director Elliott Lester doesn’t necessarily reinvent the Western with “The Thicket,” but cleverly injects new life into it with a huge assist from stars Peter Dinklage and Juliette Lewis as gunslinging rivals. Both actors are riveting in refreshingly unconventional roles as two seemingly soulless predators vitalized by the mockery and marginalization exacted upon them by folks who generally view them as either too diminutive or too hideously scarred to be accepted into mainstream society.
They are headed toward a third-act showdown in a fight to the death in the frozen, snow-covered no-man’s-land of the film’s title. But that’s less important than how Dinklage’s Shakespeare-quoting bounty hunter Reginald Jones and Lewis’ ruthless but vulnerable outlaw Cut Throat Bill ended up there. The latter has a $10,000 price on her head, but that’s not all that motivates Reginald to join the chase. There’s also the matter of the gangly rube, Jack (Levon Hawke), who comes to Reginald and his gravedigging sidekick, Eustace (Gbenga Akinnagbe), begging their assistance in rescuing his little sister, Lula (Esme Creed-Miles), from the kidnapping clutches of Cut Throat Bill.
Against his better instincts, and after a cogent argument from Eustace, Reginald reluctantly agrees to help the kid out – to a point. But benevolence hasn’t been part of Reginald’s makeup since his father sold him to the traveling carnival as a child. Understandably, his compassion is reserved for himself, and possibly Eustace. Yet, Dinklage, from behind a scraggly foot-long beard to match his untamed hair, convincingly conveys a growing weak spot for Jack. He can’t even rob the desperate, recently orphaned boy without returning the money out of guilt.
Time has taught us that the “Game of Thrones” alum can play likable amoral characters like Reginald in his sleep. But this time the appeal is even more irresistible. Perhaps it’s the general lack of respect afforded him and the non-stop insults targeting his height that engender compassion. But I think it’s the ease with which Dinklage communicates his character’s undaunted self-confidence. Nothing rattles Reginald, who only grows braver in each increasingly dire situation, like his brush with the bigoted cardsharp who dares mock Reginald’s height and manhood. It nearly costs the offender an arm. But the justified act of retaliation also sets Reginald and Eustace up for retribution in the form of two brothers, one played very well by Metallica’s James Hetfield, dispatched to find and kill the duo, thus setting the stage for the pursuers of Cut Throat Bill to be tracked themselves.
In adapting Joe Lansdale’s novel, rookie feature-film writer Chris Kelley no doubt believed this added layer of suspense would raise the stakes for his characters. But, in actuality, he merely convolutes an already elaborate story at the sacrifice of a fuller expansion on the two most intriguing members of the ensemble, Reginald and the gender-neutral Cut Throat Bill.
Lewis is so terrific as the aforementioned Bill that you can’t help but be disappointed that we don’t learn more about this woman who is convinced she must look and behave like a man to gain respect and power. Even given her limited screen time, Lewis is a revelation, instantly reminding us how great an actress she can be when presented with a role as meaty as Cut Throat Bill. Despite layers of menace-signalizing makeup, Lewis effectively conveys a woman who murders at will, while remaining fiercely protective of the frightened and imperiled Lulu when she is targeted for sexual assault by the male members of her band of thugs and miscreants. How does Bill even begin to balance the two sides of the coin?
Neither Lester nor Kelley is letting on. They’re too busy upping the ante by adding more and more characters to the pot, including the utterly unnecessary Jimmy Sue (“Westside Story’s” Leslie Grace), a sex-trafficked innocent Jack swoops up from servitude to become his interracial love interest. It’s all a bit much. But it’s not a deal-breaker. There’s too much working in the quirky film’s favor, like the sweeping, wintry landscapes of Alberta (standing in for the Old West) captured by director of photography Guillermo Garza, which greatly enhance the chilly, formidable mood of the film.
It’s also an opportunity to watch a host of second-generation thespians, most notably Hawke, the son of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman; and Creed-Miles, the daughter of Samantha Morton and Charlie Creed-Miles. And, of course, there’s Lewis, one of nine children born to the fine character actor Geoffrey Lewis. Hers was a role originally filled by Noomi Rapace, but Lewis proves so superlative you can’t imagine anyone else as Cut Throat Bill. She’s truly first-rate, as is Dinklage. Together, they render “The Thicket” an unexpected – and unlikely – treat.
Movie review
The Thicket
Rated: R for language, violence and sexual situations
Cast: Peter Dinklage, Juliette Lewis, Levon Hawke, Esme Creed-Miles, Gbenga Akinnagbe, James Hetfield and Arliss Howard
Director: Elliott Lester
Writer: Chris Kelley
Runtime: 108 minutes
Where: In theaters Sept. 6 (limited)
Grade: B
