Even Cormac McCarthy fans might struggle with the unrelenting pain of “Hostiles,” a grim ’n’ grimy new Western from professional sadist Scott Cooper.
Cooper made his directorial debut in 2009 with the entertaining “Crazy Heart,” but his next two films (“Out of the Furnace,” “Black Mass”) were sour slogs.
“Hostiles” is also a sour slog, as mean and mirthless as any Western in recent memory. (Even “Unforgiven” had jokes.) But at least this time out Cooper’s punishing style fits the story he’s telling. I can’t say I enjoyed the film, but I did admire its unwavering commitment to a cruel and hopeless view of humanity.
The first thing you should know about “Hostiles” is that the film opens with someone shooting a baby. The second thing you should know is that the film begins in 1892 New Mexico and stars a stone-faced Christian Bale as Captain Blocker, a legendarily prolific killer of Native Americans.
Blocker has been tasked with a mission that he finds more than a little distasteful: Take the dying Cheyenne war Chief Yellow Hawk (Wes Studi) and his family back to their Montana tribal lands.
Yellow Hawk has killed friends of Blocker’s; Blocker has killed friends of Yellow Hawk’s. It’s not going to be a fun trip.
For his journey, Blocker enlists a handful of soldiers (Timothée Chalamet, Jesse Plemons, Rory Cochrane and Jonathan Majors), and we’re off. Slowly.
Along the arduous ride, Blocker and his party pick up Rosalie Quaid (Rosamund Pike), a woman whose family has been killed by a Comanche war party. Rosalie, at first maddened with grief, gradually returns to her senses and takes a bigger role in the film, much to the film’s benefit.
This unlikely crew of soldiers, Indians and a widow run into all manner of trouble along the way — including a nutty outlaw played by Ben Foster. And these perilous detours work as a form of team-building for our mutually distrusting anti-heroes. They grow to trust each other, however reluctantly.
Bale’s Blocker begins the movie as a hateful husk of a man. He ends the movie as a slightly less hateful husk of man. It’s not much of an arc, but the character allows the film to reckon with American empire and the useful monsters it created along the way to winning the West.
As grueling an experience as “Hostiles” can be, it is at least easy on the eyes and ears. Cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi (“The Grey,” “Spotlight”) knows how to shoot a vista. And the forlorn score from composer Max Richter (“The Leftovers”) slops another layer of lament onto the proceedings.
The film’s long, hard journey culminates in the 99th scene of brutality, but then follows it up with a grace note: a sliver of light creeping into the abyss that is American history.
Movie reviews from Micah Mertes in 2018
"Molly's Game"
Grade: B
Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut, “Molly’s Game,” is a slick and breezily entertaining example of all the ways the Oscar-winning writer is great and a few of the ways he’s not. Read more
"The Post"
Grade: B
The clothes, hairstyles and newsroom typewriters of Spielberg's "The Post" might belong to 1971, but the themes and sentiment are aimed pointedly at 2018 — at the current presidential administration and its combative relationship with the press. Read more
"Paddington 2"
Grade: B+
“Paddington 2” is one of those rare sequels (and very rare children’s movie sequels) where the second installment improves on the first. The follow-up to the 2014 film is warm, charming and visually inventive in all the ways of its predecessor but just a bit more so in every department. Read more
"Call Me By Your Name"
Grade: A-
“Call Me By Your Name” is a movie that values atmosphere over incident, and its deliberate pace will prove plodding for some. But if you allow yourself to get caught up in the love story, you’ll find a film with a wealth of feeling too big for words. Read more
"Den of Thieves"
Grade: B
If "Heat" smelled like a strip club and replaced Pacino/De Niro with Leonidas/Pornstache, it might look (and smell) a little something like "Den of Thieves." And if you’re wondering whether I mean that as an insult or a compliment, my answer is yes. Read more
"Hostiles"
Grade: C+
Even Cormac McCarthy fans might struggle with the unrelenting pain of “Hostiles,” a grim ’n’ grimy new Western from professional sadist Scott Cooper. Read more
"Winchester"
Grade: C-
It’s not a truly bad film. I can get behind a truly bad film. “Winchester” is worse than bad. It’s just deadly boring. Read more
"Fifty Shades Freed"
Grade: F
Inept, meandering and anticlimactic, “Fifty Shades Freed” does at least one thing that’s extraordinary: It brings the “Fifty Shades” series to an end. Read more
”Black Panther”
Nominated for seven Oscars: Best Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.
Grade: B+
The best possible thing that could be said about “Black Panther,” the 18th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is that it’s the first Marvel movie that doesn’t feel like a Marvel movie. Read more
"Annihilation"
Grade: B+
The trippy and challenging “Annihilation” is a sci-fi Franken-film — a cellular fusion of “Stalker,” “The Thing” and the last 20 minutes of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Read more
"A Wrinkle in Time"
Grade: C-
I take no pleasure in saying this ...
But Ava DuVernay’s big-budget adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic children’s book “A Wrinkle in Time” is a clumsy, clunky mess and one of the most disappointing movies of this still-young year. Read more
"Ready Player One"
Nominated for one Oscar: Best Visual Effects.
Grade: B-
"Ready Player One" is a bucket of Lucky Charms with two cups of sugar on top ... and high-speed Wi-Fi. It’s every geeky subreddit shouting at once. It’s too many tabs open on your Chrome browser window. It’s the Internet. It’s the whole Internet. Read more
"Gemini"
Grade: B+
It quickly becomes apparent that the star of the L.A. murder mystery “Gemini” isn’t the femme fatale or the falsely accused heroine, but instead the neon haze of the city itself. Read more
"Isle of Dogs"
Nominated for two Oscars: Best Animated Film and Best Original Score.
Grade: A
Here’s a film in which Tilda Swinton voices a pug named Oracle. The other dogs think she can see the future, but she’s really just the only dog who understands TV news. Here’s a film in which an authoritarian government has developed tooth-and-tail recognition software to better track and catch subversive strays. Here’s a beautiful film and a ridiculous one, and one we don’t deserve. Read more
"Borg vs. McEnroe"
Grade: C
Casting notorious hothead Shia LaBeouf as notorious hothead John McEnroe was admittedly an inspired choice. It’s the first one, last one, only one that “Borg vs. McEnroe” makes. Read more
"Rampage"
Grade: C-
Clocking in at 1 hour and 47 minutes, “Rampage” — a loose adaptation of the classic arcade game — is about 1 hour and 47 minutes too long. Read more
"The Endless"
Grade: C
There’s an irresistible hook at the heart of “The Endless” — the new indie horror movie from filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (“Spring,” “Resolution”). The hook involves time loops, Lovecraftian monsters and UFO death cults. Read more
"Lean on Pete"
Grade: A
A heartbreaking bruise of a movie, “Lean on Pete” takes the hoary templates of the coming-of-age drama and the boy-and-his-horse adventure and subverts them again and again. What we’re left with is something sturdy and hurtful — a modern-day Western that canters along at a deliberate pace while slowly building up to explosions of suspense and violence. Read more
"You Were Never Really Here"
Grade: B-
On paper, this is the greatest movie I’ve ever seen. In execution, it’s ... I don’t know. Read more
"Breaking In"
Grade: C
PG-13 movies, at most, get one F-bomb, and “Breaking In” spends its single use of the word well. In the finale, the film’s star, Gabrielle Union, drops the solo **** at just the right moment for maximum, crowd-pleasing impact. There will be applause. Read more
"Deadpool 2"
Grade: C+
The good news is that if you loved “Deadpool,” you’ll love “Deadpool 2,” too. The better news is that if, like me, you did not like “Deadpool,” you still might sort of enjoy the sequel. Read more
"Solo: A Star Wars Story"
Nominated for one Oscar: Best Visual Effects.
Grade: B-
If you want to know how Han met Chewie, and if you want to know more about the 12-parsec Kessel Run, and if you just want to be generally entertained for two-ish hours this weekend, then, yes, of course, see the new “Star Wars” movie “Solo.” Read more
"First Reformed"
Nominated for one Oscar: Best Original Screenplay.
Grade: A
As the ecological apocalypse approaches, a man sits alone in the room of an old church — drinking, praying, wondering if God can forgive us. He is also, ever so slowly, making a plan. Read more
"Hereditary"
Grade: A
I’ve seen a 2018 horror film about a troubled family. And it’s a thrilling crowd-pleaser, full of suspense and heart. Scary but not too scary, violent but not too violent, with lovable characters everyone can root for. Everyone’s gonna like it. Fun for the whole family! Read more
"Ocean's 8"
Grade: B
Get a carefree screenplay. Pair it with a bunch of movie stars and a competent director. Add a Kim Kardashian cameo. Shake it. Stir it. Let it sit ... voila. You’ve got “Ocean’s 8,” 110 frothy minutes of diversion (and with a side of air-conditioning!). Read more
"The Incredibles"
Nominated for one Oscar: Best Animated Film.
Grade: B+
It’s been 14 years since the first “Incredibles” movie. Was the sequel worth the wait? Definitely. It’s not quite as fresh or inventive as the first film, but it’s close enough. Read more
"Won't You Be My Neighbor?"
Grade: A-
At this particular moment, Fred Rogers’ message of love and kindness, dignity and respect and equality and, most of all, his reverence and wonder for childhood ... at this particular moment, that message hits so hard it hurts. Read more
"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom"
Grade: D
Cash-grab movie franchises are a lot like leftover Applebee’s chicken tenders.
Warm ’em up in the microwave after the right amount of time has passed, they’re still pretty good. If you’re lucky, reheating the meal might even extract some heretofore untasted flavors.
But if you double-dip. If you re-refrigerate your leftovers and some time later head back in for a sequel to your better-than-expected reboot, well, you’re just asking for trouble, my friend. Read more
"Sicario: Day of the Soldado"
Grade: B-
“Day of the Soldado” has about the same number of action set pieces as the first film, and they’re well-executed and suspenseful. Just not as well-executed and suspenseful as those in the first film. Read more
"Ant-Man and the Wasp"
Grade: C+
The summer of “Eh, it was alright” continues with “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” a film that feels like — and, in fact, is — the 20th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Read more
"Three Identical Strangers"
Grade: B
Bobby, Eddy and David made national headlines for their unbelievable story, all the while getting to know each other for the first time. But as the warm glow of their reunion fades, the triplets start asking questions. Namely: Why were they separated? Why didn’t they know of each other’s existence? Read more
"Leave No Trace"
Grade: A-
It took eight years, but we’ve finally got another feature film from Debra Granik (director/co-writer of “Winter’s Bone”). It’s called “Leave No Trace,” and it’s brilliant. Read more
"Skyscraper"
Grade: B-
It might be that my brain is dying, but I actually enjoyed most of “Skyscraper,” the new movie in which Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson runs around a tall building that’s on fire.
And my brain might be dying, but I liked it. Read more
”The Equalizer 2”
Grade: D+{div class=”subscriber-preview”}“The Equalizer 2,” the sequel to the 2014 hit — Denzel Washington’s first sequel, mind you — is a dour, sour and overlong slog that manages to bore even when it’s snapping necks, exploding heads and impaling henchmen with harpoons. Read more{/div}
"Mission: Impossible - Fallout"
Grade: A
The sixth entry in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, “Fallout” is not only the best of the series. Not only the best blockbuster of the summer. It’s one of the best action movies ever made. Read more
"Christopher Robin"
Nominated for one Oscar: Best Visual Effects.
Grade: B
This is a weird to thing to say, but the new Winnie-the-Pooh movie is a bit subversive, at least as far as Disney-produced children’s movies go. Read more
"Eighth Grade"
Grade: A
Middle school is, of course, a horror show. Bad skin. Brain and body growing in weird directions. All those deeply confusing new feelings.
“Eighth Grade,” the remarkable debut feature from writer/director Bo Burnham, gets at this feeling with more truth and humor and humanity than any movie I can think of. Read more
"The Meg"
Grade: C-
Yes, adult life is just a parade of minor disappointments — some of which come in the form of a prehistoric shark movie starring Jason Statham. Read more
"Crazy Rich Asians"
Grade: B+
Though “Crazy Rich Asians” is essentially just a fish-out-of-water fairy tale, it’s almost impossible not to get swept up in the sheer exuberant energy of the film and its appealing cast. This is admittedly not my kind of thing. But it is an example of this kind of thing done very, very well.
“The Miseducation of Cameron Post”
Grade: B
“The Miseducation of Cameron Post” is quite funny at points. Funny in Cameron’s dry running commentary about her situation. (Moretz, who’s struggled in the past with naturalistic acting, is very good here.) And funny in the kitschy aesthetic of its '90s bible camp. Read more
"The Happytime Murders"
Grade: F
Back in the halcyon days of February, I deemed “Fifty Shades Freed” the worst movie of 2018. I’m sorry. I was wrong. I’ve now seen something far worse and something far, far less funny: the R-rated, foul-mouthed puppet movie “The Happytime Murders.” Read more
"Juliet, Naked"
Grade: B
In “Juliet, Naked” (based on Hornby’s 2009 book), the obsessive is Duncan, a cultural studies professor who has a borderline troubling fixation with Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke), an iconic ’90s singer-songwriter who long ago faded into oblivion.
A movie about Duncan would be unwatchable. So “Juliet, Naked” (book and movie) goes a different route, focusing on the collateral damage of his fandom: his long-suffering girlfriend, Annie (Rose Byrne). Read more
"The Nun"
Grade: B-
Well, it’s ... it’s pretty good. Like the “Annabelle” movies, “The Nun” is riding on the fumes of “The Conjuring” films proper. But that still puts it ahead of dreck like “Slender Man.” Read more
"The Predator"
Grade: B
“The Predator” is undeniably some real hot trash — as proudly and outrageously stupid as any blockbuster in recent memory. It looks and feels and acts like a messy, murky sci-fi action movie straight out of 1998. Even by the standards of this historically spotty series, the film reaches new heights of absurdity. Read more
"Mandy"
Grade: B+
Here’s something you don’t hear too often these days: "You’ve got to see the new Nic Cage movie!"
The wild actor's latest is “Mandy,” an extremely metal new horror-thriller with a dirt-simple plot and a grotesque, psychedelic style. It might be trash, but it’s as artfully made as trash gets. Read more
"Support the Girls"
Grade: A-
“Support the Girls” covers just one day at Double Whammies, a Texas sports bar staffed with scantily clad waitresses and led by a long-beleaguered den mother of a manager. That’s it. And it’s nearly perfect. Read more
"A Star is Born"
Like the “just wanted to take another look at ya” meme the Internet has already immortalized, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s “A Star Is Born” remake is sweet, goofy and irresistible in ways you can’t quite put your finger on. Read more
"Colette"
Grade: B
“Colette” examines the gender roles and social constraints of late-19th-century Paris, but is considerably more interested in sex. About a half-hour in, “Colette” fully becomes what it really is: a fun and frothy sex comedy with a side of acerbically witty dialogue. Read more
"First Man"
Nominated for four Oscars: Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects.
Grade: B+
“First Man” is, without question, a technical marvel (and a clear Oscar contender). But the film is also, without question, a bruising watch — a procession of physical and emotional trauma on the way to its otherworldly catharsis. Read more
"The Old Man & the Gun"
Grade: B+
“Old Man & the Gun” is a tribute not just to the Sundance Kid but the charismatic outlaws and outsiders Robert Redford has played over the course of his near-60-year career. It’s also a eulogy for another era of movies. In fact, it pretty much perfectly replicates the look and feel of the kind of ’70s movie it’s celebrating. Read more
"Halloween"
Grade: B+
Has there ever been a movie more murderous than the new “Halloween”? Picking up 40 years after the first “Halloween,” the film isn’t much more than a quick, crisp and deeply competent slasher movie. And yet that’s not an easy thing to do, as evidenced by nearly four decades of sequels that sucked. Read more
"The Night Comes For Us"
Grade: A
Joe Taslim, who stars as Ito, in a scene from “The Night Comes For Us” that basically works as a summation for the whole movie. The film is as gory as the goriest horror movie — a darkly funny, beautifully choreographed splatterfest. Read more
"Free Solo"
Nominated for one Oscar: Best Documentary Feature.
Grade: A
This is a movie that brutalizes the nerves. It goes beyond mere suspense. It’s disturbing. “Free Solo” is one of the year’s best and most riveting cinematic experiences, and is deservedly one of the front-runners for best doc at next year’s Oscars. Read more
"Wildlife"
Grade: B+
Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal both shine in Paul Dano’s directorial debut, “Wildlife.” The film is a quiet and frequently haunting drama about the trauma families can inflict on each other without really meaning to. Read more
”The Girl in the Spider’s Web”
Grade: D+
{span}The seven-years-later reboot of the Lisbeth Salander series is dull and anonymous, a half-baked and undercooked spy thriller with a plot lifted straight out of a James Bond movie.{/span} Read more
"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
Nominated for three Oscars: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design and Best Song for "When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings.”
Grade: B
The rolling hills of western Nebraska have never looked more gorgeous (or full of menace) in a movie. Read more
"Widows"
Grade: A
“Widows” is a heist film directed by Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”) from a script he co-wrote with Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”) starring Viola Davis as the widow of a thief (Liam Neeson) who opts to pull off an elaborate heist in order to pay off her late husband’s debt to a crime boss.
It’s rare that a movie sounds this good on paper. It’s rarer still when one delivers on its promise. Read more
"Green Book"
Nominated for five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor for Viggo Mortensen, Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.
Grade: B-
If you’re looking for something nice, friendly and down-the-middle to see with your family, “Green Book” would be a good bet. The film is a slice of hope in a not especially hopeful time. Read more
"Creed II"
Grade: B+
“Creed II” is a slower, cornier and less-surprising film than its predecessor. It leans too heavily on the formula the first “Creed” so successfully subverted. But if you like “Rocky” movies, there’s no reason to think you wouldn’t have a great time at this one. Read more
"Burning"
Grade: C+
While I’m convinced that “Burning” is a good movie, I didn’t especially care for it. While it’s stuck with me for days after, it sometimes irritated me and often bored me. Read more
"At Eternity's Gate"
Nominated for one Oscar: Willem Dafoe for Best Actor.
Grade: B+
“At Eternity’s Gate” is nothing less than an attempt to show us the world through Vincent van Gogh’s unmistakable vision of it. As such, it’s a marvelous feat of empathetic filmmaking. But it’s also, by design, a messy and challenging work. Read more
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"
Nominated for one Oscar: Best Animated Film.
Grade: B+
“Spider-Verse” is a movie that starts with a wink and never stops winking. This computer-animated side adventure to the MCU is smart, ridiculous, gorgeous and a little insane. It might be the best “Spider-Man” yet. Read more
”Vice”
Nominated for eight Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor for Christian Bale, Sam Rockwell for Best Supporting Actor, Amy Adams for Best Supporting Actress, Best Directing for Adam McKay, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Grade: D+
Christian Bale shaved his head and packed on 40 pounds to become Dick Cheney. It’s an uncanny transformation, and a testament to Bale’s crazed dedication as an actor. He nails every aspect of the former VP, right down to the facial tics and strategically placed pauses. Read more
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