Forsaken

I love Westerns! The Donald and Keifer Sutherland tandem here was irresistible and made this a must watch for me and it did not disappoint. Here is a heart warming tale about a prodigal son who was lost to the world and comes home 10 years after going off to war. The son haunted by a decade of wayward wandering and misdeeds. The father trying to overcome the bitterness of losing his family and community piece by piece. Throughout the movie is a pleasant, persistent but not overbearing theme of how God works through his servants to achieve His divine will. Fans of the genre will enjoy all the classic elements that make Westerns great. There is a scene in the church between father and son that had such raw powerful emotion it made me cry tears. Gentleman Dave Turner, played by Michael Wincott is my new favorite anti-hero. If you like Westerns you'll love FORSAKEN. Well done!!!

I grew up in the era when the western was king. I really love a great classic western and Forsaken brought me back using classic tropes that many seemed to see as clichés but I welcomed as old friends. The cinematography is gorgeous, the acting is stellar, especially the Sutherlands, Demi Moore and Michael Wincott. At it's heart this movie is a beautiful father and son story, more drama than action flick which is also something I appreciate. As one who has not particularly been drawn to the revisionist western of today, ( zombies? aliens? incredible disgusting violence and nastiness? ) Forsaken was a breath of fresh air.

source: Forsaken

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning In 1872, gunslinger John Henry Clayton (Kiefer Sutherland) returns home from battle, hoping to mend bridges with his father, the Reverend William Clayton (Donald Sutherland), who disapproved of his life of violence. William coldly tells his son that his mother is dead, and things don't look like they'll shape up any time soon. But John Henry may have a chance to redeem himself when he crosses paths with a gang of brutes, led by the ruthless James McCurdy (Brian Cox), who are trying to force landowners out of their homes in order to get a big railway track built. It can often be the case that something that might have first of had potential many years ago doesn't have the same impact if it happens today. The pairing of legendary actor Donald Sutherland and his not so legendary (but still something of a *24* cultural icon) son Kiefer might have rocked the world ten/twenty years ago, but today it seems their pairing only amounts to this underwhelming little addition to the gently re-emerging western genre, that has all the right ingredients but no recipe to give it its own spice. Forsaken plays like the textbook genre training manual, plodding through by the numbers, and ticking off every cliché as it goes along. It's the most standard, uninspiring old west screenplay you can imagine, that never dares to deviate from the standard formula. Performances wise, lead star Sutherland has no meat to chew on in a largely emotionless role, but such is the weakness of the script that even a tearful confessional in the church doesn't have the impact it could have. Sutherland Sr. has a quiet dignity as his pious father, while Cox has his usual air of menace as the villain, which you know he is as he's the only character to keep saying 'f**king' over and over. With a further support cast in the shape of Michael Wincott and Demi Moore as the love interest, there's certainly no shortage of talent. It's all okay if you want something to just gently relax to, but a big letdown for those who like their westerns more dynamic. **

Forsaken is directed by Jon Cassar and written by Brad Mirman. It stars Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Brian Cox, Michael Wincott, Aaron Poole and Demi Moore. Music is by Jonathan Goldsmith and cinematography by Rene Ohashi. There's a group of words bandied around for this one such as generic, cliché and formulaic, and most assuredly these can not be argued about. For this is very much an old style traditional Western, the plot featuring a retired gunslinger being pushed into action again - while he tries to reconcile with his estranged father - is a hard core staple of 1950s Westerns. But what is wrong with having a traditional Western in this day and age as long as it's produced with skill and grace? The answer for Western lovers is nothing at all. This is a beautifully mounted picture, fronted by father and son Sutherland's - which adds heartfelt emotion to their scenes together - and boosted by gorgeous cinematography (making it a Blu-ray must), it's a genre piece of worth. Crucially it knows what it wants to be, it has no pretence to be anything other than a traditional Oater for lovers of such. The villains are sneery and scenery chewers - apart from Wincott who is a gentleman dandy type - and the good guy is wonderfully broody and reflective. Pacing is fine, the story has good drama and the finale excites as we hope it should. In summary, nothing new here of course (except maybe Cox's out of place language!), so expectation of such would be foolhardy, but a smashing Western it be. 7/10

There's deliberate pacing in this old-fashioned type Western, but I thought it was quite well presented and absorbing. The acting was top- notch with believable characters, a good script from Brad Mirman, and able direction by Jon Cessar. We've seen many of the plot elements here in varying degrees over the years with a vile and greedy land baron forcing the townspeople of Fowler to sell their land to him, with the knowledge that the railroad will be coming to their town soon. The fine veteran actor Brian Cox plays the land baron McCurdy, who employs a gang of violent goons to make sure the land owners sell to him. Aaron Poole is very believable as the sadistic Frank, who heads up McCurdy's mob, and Michael Wincott does well as Gentleman Dave, also in McCurdy's employ but has a whole different style of getting the job done. Amidst all this turmoil, Keifer Sutherland, as John Henry Clayton, is returning to Fowler for the first time in 10 years. His psyche was severely damaged in the Civil War and he has spent the last eight years carving a violent and checkered path across the country. All of that much to the chagrin of his father the local Reverend William Clayton, portrayed by Donald Sutherland, who's a strong believer in God and non- violence. I might note that it was good to see Demi Moore back on the screen, giving a most solid performance as Mary Alice, who loves John Henry and waited for him to return from the War, but eventually married and now has a son. Overall, you can for the most part, but not entirely, predict which way this movie is going, but I thought it was very well presented, and I would recommend it to those viewers who like this genre of film.

It's a scene much seen before in the Western genre – or rather, done better – as Eastwood would shoot it or Duvall play it. A dusty frontierville in the grip of a gunmen gang can only mean one thing; that a renegade outsider is passing through (or coming back) to rectify the situation and bring justice to the folk. By no surprise, it's exactly what happens here. The draw for me was to see the two Sutherlands in combined action, though while I like the father's roles and charisma, I'm not much impressed or familiar with his son's work. One thing only sticks out as unforeseen, or otherwise mediated, at the end of the inevitable shootout that wraps it up; albeit anticlimactic, it's a respectable choice of events. Watch it or not, it's pretty much the same.

Like Kirk and Michael Douglas, Donald and Kiefer Sutherland waited far too long to team up for a film. Forsaken casts them as a frontier preacher and his gunfighter son who wants to give it up and settle down and work the family farm with dad. But there's a lot that has passed between them, a lot of misunderstanding and judgmental behavior ever since Kiefer went off to war and didn't return. He also left behind Demi Moore who up and married Christopher Rosamond and has a son with him. This is an old fashioned western in its villains because back when all those poverty row studios were churning out B westerns the way Ford did Model Ts, the town banker in New Deal Days was always the villain. Brian Cox portrayed this villainous town banker with real relish, stopping short of twirling the mustache like Snidely Whiplash. Donald played a three dimensional preacher with both faults and strengths and resisted the temptation to make his role a caricature. Kiefer Sutherland is a Jimmy Stewart like western hero who the locality depends on to be the strong man who stands up to the villains. Like in John Wayne's classic El Dorado, Cox like villain Edward Asner in El Dorado doesn't use a gun, he 'hires it done'. Cox has a stable of gunfighters to enforce his will, but one of them is a professional played by Michael Wincott. Wincott and Sutherland have a mutual respect between professionals the way John Wayne had with Christopher George in El Dorado. For those who like old fashioned westerns like me, Forsaken is your type of film.

The best father-son film I have ever seen. Younger Sutherland delivers arguably his best performance ever which I am guessing is confidence with sharing the screen with his dad. The older Sutherland has a more typical role something like he has been performing over the years but the variety of emotions displayed by his son are captivating. Like any typical western, the ending is more or less predictable but this movie is not about the final chapter but more about a father and son's relationship in difficult times and no one could have done it better than these two. Definitely not to be missed if you are into emotional family flicks.