Directed by:
Kelly ReichardtScreenplay:
Jonathan RaymondCinematography:
Christopher BlauveltComposer:
Jeff GraceCast:
Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Will Patton, Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano, Shirley Henderson, Neal Huff, Tommy Nelson, Rod RondeauxVOD (2)
Plots(1)
Kelly Reichardt's absorbing and beautifully composed western is set in 1845, during the earliest days of the Oregon trail. A wagon train of three families has hired mountain man Stephen Meek to guide them over the Cascade Mountains. Claiming to know a shortcut, he leads the group on an unmarked path over the high plain desert, only to become lost in the arid rock and sage. As food and water run low, tensions emerge, and the group's faith in Meek and in their own ability to survive is sorely tested. Reichardt's pared-down approach and her unfailing eye for composition are perfect for this story, creating a palpable sense of tension and unease, helped by the unshowy, natural performances of the strong ensemble cast. Watching a film as meticulously crafted as Meek's Cutoff is thrilling in itself, but what makes it all the more so is how effective this is in making us care about the settlers' fate, wrapping us tightly into the life or death nature of their journey. (British Film Institute (BFI))
(more)Cast
Michelle Williams
USA
Best movies:
Shutter Island (2010)
The Station Agent (2003)
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Bruce Greenwood
Canada
Best movies:
First Blood (1982)
The World's Fastest Indian (2005)
Star Trek (2009)
Will Patton
USA
Best movies:
Into the West (2005) (series)
In the Soup (1992)
Remember the Titans (2000)
Zoe Kazan
USA
Best movies:
Revolutionary Road (2008)
Fracture (2007)
What If (2013)
Paul Dano
USA
Best movies:
Prisoners (2013)
War and Peace (2016) (series)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Shirley Henderson
UK
Best movies:
Trainspotting (1996)
The Way We Live Now (2001) (series)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Neal Huff
USA
Best movies:
Spotlight (2015)
John Adams (2008) (series)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Tommy Nelson
USA
Best movies:
Mildred Pierce (2011) (series)
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Meek's Cutoff (2010)
Rod Rondeaux
Best movies:
Into the West (2005) (series)
Hostiles (2017)
Comanche Moon (2008) (series)