The Old Way
Academy Award winner and charismatic methodactor Nicolas Cagehas had a longstanding history of taking on dynamic roles . From dramas and horror films to action thriller and superhero picture show , Cage has shown that his talent extend far and wide across genre . Surprisingly , the decorated actor has never taken on a western until his role inThe Old Way . direct by Brett Donowho from a screenplay by Carl W. Lucas , Cage toy a vengeful gunslinger draw out of retirement to chase after down his wife ’s killers . Donowho ’s western tale adopt a typical chemical formula , but there are plenty of laughs and grinning to be had throughout this conversant story .
Nic Cage stars as Colton Briggs , the notorious and stale - full-blood gunfighter with a cut record of being smarter than his enemies and getting the job done by any means necessary . That all do to a halt when he meets Ruth ( Kerry Knuppe ) , whom he marries and shares a daughter , the immature and courageous Brooke ( Ryan Kiera Armstrong ) . When Briggs ’ past tense comes back to haunt him in the form of a grand vengeance scheme , he travels across Ithiel Town with Brooke to track down his wife ’s killers . Together , they discover more about each other while rebuilding their connection as father and daughter , share memories about Ruth that would give them strength to take on .
Related : Brett Donowho audience : The Old direction
The Old Wayis a intimate revenge tale that overlays a heartwarming don - daughter adventure , crap for an engaging American western . While tip - toe around received genre tropes , Lucas ' screenplay offer an likable dynamic between Colton and his girl that grounds his chronicle with humanity . As with many westerns , a revenge mission initiated by the bandit James McAllister ( Noah Le Gros ) impacts all the main characters in dissimilar ways . But the hand nicely balances the various perspectives and provide these characters the opportunity to grow outside the stock " vote out or be killed " personalities to unity who care about family unit and well-being .
All that said , the greatest matter standing in the way ofThe Old Wayis its unfitness to offer anything new within its storytelling . The revenge story is predictable despite the characters developing at adequate paces . What ’s more , not much is known about the town and its inhabitants outside of information provide by the set excogitation . As of result of this limitation , it ’s difficult to to the full immerse oneself within the story , especially with the predictability of the ending . The end result walk back most of the progress made by its lead , which may leave audiences with an overall underwhelming feeling by the film ’s end .
Despite these issues , viewers may line up it well-heeled to be engage with Donowho ’s cockeyed and unproblematic feature article hand because of the interaction between Cage and Armstrong . As the father / daughter duo , they pair well together onscreen , offering moments for laugh and even metre for tears . As expected , Cage handles these kinetics well , though this playscript does n’t dispute him in ways that would require mysterious acting acquisition . However , it does give newcomer Ryan Kiera Armstrong the opportunity to make her sucker on Hollywood . She gives a capital performance , manifest her ability to properly move between drama , drollery , and action mechanism in a short time pair .
Ryan Kiera Armstrong and Nicolas Cage in The Old Way
In scant , there ’s not much to require from Donowho ’s predictable and simpleAmerican western feature . Yet , The Old Waycontains some proficient merriment and offers heartwarming moments between a sire and daughter as they rebuild their relationship during a vengeful mission . Thanks to great performance from Nicolas Cage and Ryan Kiera Armstrong , their dynamic is enough to carry this intimate story in a compelling way . And as expected , two heart and soul become one in their competitiveness for the same want outcome , but the journey there hold moments that can fill even the cold of centre with warmth .
More : The Pale Blue Eye Review : Melling Outshines Bale In Mismanaged Gothic Mystery
The Old Wayreleased in theaters January 6 . The film is 95 second foresighted and rated R for violence .
