Jane Got a Gun is not a horror film, but it’s a damn good thriller that will appeal to the same sensibilities. And believe it or not, it’s a Western.
It’s also got a good pedigree. Jane comes from the same director and one of the writers of Warrior, a violent and effective thriller from a couple years back. Even one of the lead actors in this comes from Warrior (and much other stuff) as well. At the center of it all is Natalie Portman, of all people, who somehow manages to back away from her ethereal beauty and show a physical and vocal presence that’s both unexpected and very welcome. And the story is a straight-on, authentic Western with situations and dialogue we’ve both seen before and love to death (literally).
Best of all, the movie is damn beautiful. The trailer — which really doesn’t do the movie justice in a number of ways — does give you a hint of how great the cinematography is. You could watch this thing with the sound off and enjoy it.
And here’s the kicker: it’s playing for “free” on Netflix right now. (“Free” if you’re already a streaming member, that is. How horribly that word has been twisted in this, our twenty-first century!). Amid all the real mediocrity and inexplicable badness of the movies available through Netflix, it’s nice to see something new and actually worth a watch stumbling in from the wings.
Here’s a hint. Give it a try.
