Post by Jester- PsychoBunnyProductions on Jan 1, 2011 16:04:22 GMT -5
I'm a lover of Westerns. Love em all. From the oldies with Gary Cooper, to the cheekiness of Paul Newman and his dazzling blue eyes. From gruff Wayne to Eastwoods nameless anti hero. All the way up to The Coens No Country for Old Men. There is just a great sense of poetry about the west in both its barren land and its age old ideas of sense and honour.
Firstly I'd like to congratulate Daz for being brave enough for daring to write a western and then I'd like to thank Daz for succeeding.
The Rider is a beautiful ode to come classic Westerns. Brilliant western influences like both the original and remake of 3:10 to Yuma, For a few Dollars More, The Good the Bad and The Ugly, Pale Rider, One Eyed Jacks have a strong presence in The Rider.
This isn't a bad thing because since the film is script based you're already missing that beautiful vicious western image, but borrowing from these films sets you right into a classic western mind frame. You got The Outlaw, The mostly silent Rider, The gang, The sheriff, and barmaid, the train robbery, the shoot out, its just the perfect formula.
The thing I loved most about the film though was the themes it built upon. I've always loved the idea of blurring the line between good and bad and Daz does it here masterfully. Trusted figures of authority pose more threat than the Outlaw; its engaging stuff.
Another underlining theme I picked up on was this idea of family. Every character seems alone in one way or another, some even seem to subconsciously seeking connections. For instance the character of Mary Ann has lost someone she loves to violence. This as a back story doesnt play a huge part in the story but it does effect her as a character. She seems longing for affection and protection.
The Rider and Wyatt on the other hand strike a similar brotherly connection during the film which even leads to Wyatt finally opening up to The Rider.
The biggest theme of family however comes with the tragic character of Billy. From the opening moments we can see what a father figure Wyatt is to Billy. All this relationship, or lack of, carves Billy into the creature he becomes.
I loved the subtle theme of the consequence of death as well. Billy's attachment to the watch was a perfect representation of that.
Character development was also brilliant. I mean with the title I was lead to believe that The Rider would be the main focus, however I felt that Wyatt was much more of a main character with his story driving them film. Thats not to say The Rider as a character wasn't interesting because he was. The Rider was the perfect western image of mystery. He was the sum of the west; lone wolves who go where the wind blows them and live what life deals them in the moment. Another instance of Daz brilliantly identifying and optimizing a classic western ideal.
The plot was incredibly well paced although I did feel the climax at the end could have been played out a bit better. However, the closing moments of dialogue are fantastically engaging.
Only other criticism is the script is littered spelling mistakes and missed words. Other than that I have no complains with the script.
Oh, one thing I remembered; I felt Mary Anne (although a classic portrayal of women in westerns) maybe needed some sort of her own redemption. Maybe a final image of her metaphorically letting go of her husbands memory? Just a thought.
5/5 All go read it. Its a treat from its opening pages to its closing.
Firstly I'd like to congratulate Daz for being brave enough for daring to write a western and then I'd like to thank Daz for succeeding.
The Rider is a beautiful ode to come classic Westerns. Brilliant western influences like both the original and remake of 3:10 to Yuma, For a few Dollars More, The Good the Bad and The Ugly, Pale Rider, One Eyed Jacks have a strong presence in The Rider.
This isn't a bad thing because since the film is script based you're already missing that beautiful vicious western image, but borrowing from these films sets you right into a classic western mind frame. You got The Outlaw, The mostly silent Rider, The gang, The sheriff, and barmaid, the train robbery, the shoot out, its just the perfect formula.
The thing I loved most about the film though was the themes it built upon. I've always loved the idea of blurring the line between good and bad and Daz does it here masterfully. Trusted figures of authority pose more threat than the Outlaw; its engaging stuff.
Another underlining theme I picked up on was this idea of family. Every character seems alone in one way or another, some even seem to subconsciously seeking connections. For instance the character of Mary Ann has lost someone she loves to violence. This as a back story doesnt play a huge part in the story but it does effect her as a character. She seems longing for affection and protection.
The Rider and Wyatt on the other hand strike a similar brotherly connection during the film which even leads to Wyatt finally opening up to The Rider.
The biggest theme of family however comes with the tragic character of Billy. From the opening moments we can see what a father figure Wyatt is to Billy. All this relationship, or lack of, carves Billy into the creature he becomes.
I loved the subtle theme of the consequence of death as well. Billy's attachment to the watch was a perfect representation of that.
Character development was also brilliant. I mean with the title I was lead to believe that The Rider would be the main focus, however I felt that Wyatt was much more of a main character with his story driving them film. Thats not to say The Rider as a character wasn't interesting because he was. The Rider was the perfect western image of mystery. He was the sum of the west; lone wolves who go where the wind blows them and live what life deals them in the moment. Another instance of Daz brilliantly identifying and optimizing a classic western ideal.
The plot was incredibly well paced although I did feel the climax at the end could have been played out a bit better. However, the closing moments of dialogue are fantastically engaging.
Only other criticism is the script is littered spelling mistakes and missed words. Other than that I have no complains with the script.
Oh, one thing I remembered; I felt Mary Anne (although a classic portrayal of women in westerns) maybe needed some sort of her own redemption. Maybe a final image of her metaphorically letting go of her husbands memory? Just a thought.
5/5 All go read it. Its a treat from its opening pages to its closing.
