MOVIE REVIEW - JANE GOT A GUN

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Jane Got a Gun

Review by Paul Preston

“Jane Got a Gun” is shot exceptionally well.

Wait, wait, that’s often code for “the movie is bad”, meaning if there were more substantial things to discuss about the movie, you wouldn’t lead with how it looks. As if the turd was wrapped in a colorful bow. Not true. I lead with the cinematography because shot selection can really separate a good western from a bad one. “Jane Got a Gun” combines new, exciting shot composition with ample nods to classic western visuals.

You could say the same about the script. The film delivers a female-centric storyline that brandishes a modern feminism, but sets it in a real-world western we’re all familiar with. The film goes just far enough with its take on a woman-with-a-gun storyline, any further and you dip into “Bad Girls” territory and the strong female leads become too jokey, more of a statement that says, “wouldn’t it be cool if females kicked ass in the Wild West”, as opposed to delivering up a complex character.

Jane of the title is played by Natalie Portman, mixing the right combination of strength and fear as a woman defending her home against a gang that is coming for her husband. Her husband (Noah Emmerich) is shot up at the beginning of the film, and the groundwork is laid for a revenge tale. But the script by Brian Duffield, Anthony Tambakis and co-star Joel Edgerton wisely makes matters thicker, introducing Jane’s ex-lover (Edgerton) as her reluctant gunslinger-for-hire. Not only is there tension in their partnership, but the film’s flashbacks then fill in gaps and add layers to the story, making it a richer experience.

But back to the cinematography by Mandy Walker, who I’ll be watching closely from here on. Early on, there’s a nod to “The Searchers”, John Ford’s classic western, with one of those push-through-the-door-frame shots. That conceit works here as well as it does every time it shows up in a movie. There are plenty of memorable shots that build a impressive-looking movie that never seems too showy. Standing out are a low-angle shot of Edgerton as he’s about to waste a bad guy bathes him in badassery and gives us a scary last POV from a man about to eat a bullet and Emmerich’s POV through cloudy vision as he tries to take in what’s happening in his own house while withstanding horrible pain.

The stand-off with the gang leads to an exciting shootout finale. What follows is a mixed bag of conventional story wrap-up sprinkled with a few unique moments. Ewan McGregor plays the gang’s leader, John Bishop, and although he never gets set up quite to the filthy extent he could have been, there’s great satisfaction in watching Jane square off with him. Between this and “The Gift”, Joel Edgerton is no joke as a multi-threat Hollywood actor, and I enjoyed his performance in “Black Mass” quite a bit as the dumbass cop who just couldn’t stop with the illegal shenanigans. Watching him go from desperate to desperater in that film was a lot of fun.

“Jane Got a Gun” was a viewing experience like many western viewing experiences I have. About a quarter of the way through, no matter what’s going on, I say to myself, “Oh, yeah, I love westerns!”. And this film delivers what you love – stylishly – sprinkling it all with the good actors, and it’s worth bringing up again that the flashbacks work wonders here, adding layers of complication to the plot and relationships. And when things get complicated, that’s when they get good.