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Jane Got a Gun Review

By Matthew Passantino

Portman Takes Aim at a Western

It's been a long and tortured path for "Jane Got a Gun" to make it to the big screen. Behind the scene conflicts usually result in a poor film but "Jane Got a Gun" is an engaging little Western with a strong female protagonist.

First, let's talk about a little history of the movie's journey to the big screen. Originally, Lynne Ramsay ("We Need to Talk About Kevin") was set to direct but didn't show up for the first day of production. Natalie Portman was always signed-on to be the film's lead, two of the male leads were recast several times. Michael Fassbender clashed with Ramsay during pre-production and left the project, Bradley Cooper was attached and left because of schedules. Certainly, a bomb of a film was in the works.

But "Jane Got a Gun" rises above its headline-making behind the scenes drama. It's a shaggy film, capturing the spirit and grit of a true western. Portman stars as Jane. She is married to an outlaw named Bill Hammond (Noah Emmerich), who arrives back home one day and has been shot multiple times. Bill is being hunted by the brutal Bishop Boys gang, led by Colin (Ewan McGregor). Jane has to protect her husband and make sure the gang doesn't come back to finish the job.

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She enlists the help of gunslinger Dan Frost (Joel Edgerton). When Jane appears at Dan's front door, he doesn't seem too pleased to see her. For a while, there is an unspoken tension between Dan and Jane and we are never exactly sure why. Once upon a time, Jane was engaged to Dan but after she thought he had died, she married Bill. It proved to be a shock to Dan when he made it back home to Jane.

The film spends a great deal of time wallowing in Dan and Jane's past relationship and current tension with one another. The movie is a bit too heavy on flashback sequences, which aren't always necessary to convey Dan and Jane's history. The central western at hand - outlaw vs. outlaw gang - is nothing new but is done well and the most engaging part of the story.

After Ramsay left the film, director Gavin O'Connor ("Warrior") came aboard as director. O'Connor and cinematographer Mandy Walker capture the landscapes beautifully and there are several breathtaking shots of the western frontier throughout the film.

Portman and Edgerton play off each other well but Portman always remains the center of the film. She is no damsel in distress in a western picture. She is the film's strength and epicenter, trying to protect the world around her and mend issues from the past. McGregor relishes his bad guy role, if sometimes coming off a bit cartoonish.

"Jane Got a Gun" probably won't find much activity at the box office. After telling a few people I enjoyed the film, I got several "I've never heard of it" reactions. But not all films with production dramas and delayed releases have to end up being bad films (even though they usually are - we're looking at you, "Fantastic 4"). "Jane Got a Gun" is a refreshing exception to the unwritten rule.

What did you think?

Movie title Jane Got a Gun
Release year 2016
MPAA Rating R
Our rating
Summary Despite a tortured path to the big screen, this Natalie Portman vehicle is an engaging western.
View all articles by Matthew Passantino
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