Orphaned as a result of a smallpox epidemic, siblings Jack (Levon Hawke) and Lula Parker (Esme Creed-Miles) leave their homestead and, with their grandfather, begin a journey across forbidding territory to their aunt’s place. A run-in with notorious outlaw Cutthroat Bill (Juliette Lewis) ends with grandfather dead, Lula kidnapped and Jack needing to rescue his sister. Enlisting the help of bounty hunter Reginald Jones (Peter Dinklage) and his grave-digging, rifle-toting partner Eustace Hollow (Gbenga Akinnagbe), their quest takes them through a wintry, deadly landscape towards the no-man’s land known as The Thicket…
Based on a highly regarded Joe R. Lansdale novel and with the screen version announced as far back as 2014, this passion project for Peter Dinklage (he’s also one of the producers) finally began pre-production in 2020, but was stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fast forward to 2023, when filming finally commenced with one major change in the cast, which saw Lewis replacing the original Bill of Noomi Rapace and James Hetfield – yes, that James Hetfield – announced as part of the ensemble. Now, I could spend the rest of the review attempting to crowbar in awful Metallica-based puns but I’m here to tell you about the movie and nothing else matters. I’m not apologising for that one.
It’s easy to scoff at what could be described as stunt casting, but Hetfield is rather good in a supporting role, playing the reluctantly deputised Simon Deasy, tasked by his employer to bring back Jones for his part in an early incident in which said employer attempted to short-change then kill Jones, resulting in Jones demonstrating his deftness with the blade. Yes, there’s some grungy violence in The Thicket but it doesn’t wallow in shootings and stabbings. In fact, some of the nastiest business in the whole movie is carried out just offscreen, leaving the viewer to construct their own particular level of dreadfulness.
On one hand, we’re in classic Western territory, with a band of misfits roaming the wilderness to dispense justice to some bad folks, calling off at the odd town, discussing their mission around the campfire, that kind of thing. However, the inclusion of early vehicular developments give The Thicket an interesting spin, a motorbike speeding past Lula in the opening moments and Jones driving an early form of truck at one point. The snow-covered vistas are also uncommon in this kind of sagebrush saga and add to the atmosphere. It feels like this is a last, blood-soaked hurrah for the Wild West, about to be overtaken by a more civilised form of society.
The focus on the villain of the piece, particularly in the first half, isn’t exactly revisionist, but having the time split between heroes and villains allows for Lewis’ grizzled, scarred Bill to exert more of a hold on the proceedings. Rapace would have been fine in the role, of that there’s no doubt, but the recasting hasn’t damaged the piece. Far from it, as Lewis is chilling throughout and more than a match for the ragtag band of mostly terrified men dragged into her world.
The film is littered with notable acting talent but the generous roster of characters is a little too large for all of them to make an impact, which means that the always superb Macon Blair gets a criminally small amount of screen time. What it does mean is that there’s nothing approaching a duff performance to be found in The Thicket and Dinklage cuts a more rounded hero than most, capable in the action sequences but relying more on his smarts and experience to outwit his enemies. The familiar air of world weariness is there, but this doesn’t lead to him sinking into a whiskey bottle and warning that we all have it coming. Clint already did that, he did it brilliantly, we don’t need it again.
The Thicket is an enjoyable, sometimes gritty oater which could easily cop out by constantly falling back on dark humour to leaven the proceedings and almost never does. It doesn’t lean so far into its grimness to be competing with something like The Proposition, but it’s certainly many shades darker than the average John Wayne flick. The contained nature of the piece means it doesn’t have the epic sweep of a Leone opus (come on, what does?) and a general refusal to stick steadfastly to the usual template runs the risk of corralling itself. However, there’s enough of the unusual about it to make it well worth a watch and Dinklage should be given the necessary kudos for helping to get this made. Like its characters, it’s slightly out of time, but that’s what will provides the hook for many of us.
Having read other takes on the film, there’s some criticism as to not capturing the richness and complexities of the source material. I will admit that it’s a Landsdale book I haven’t yet got around to reading, but even at a hundred and five minutes in length The Thicket is going to be something of a distillation and approximation of the book. In my view, this brings plenty to the table and although there’s a clinical efficiency and unspectacular approach to a number of the kills which may stick in the craw of those looking for The Wild Bunch levels of claret, it fits well with the unromanticised portrayal of this particular period of history. Saddle up and take a ride with this one.
The Thicket is available on Digital Platforms now (released 21st April) and hits DVD on 26th May. Distributed by Signature Entertainment.
