Butcher’s Crossing movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Butcher’s Crossing

This dramatic Western will be released in theaters on October 20, 2023.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 45 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B-

IN A NUTSHELL:

This dramatic Western is based on the popular novel by John Edward Williams about an epic frontier adventure. It’s about a Harvard student who drops out of school to experience life in the Colorado wilderness. He joins a team of buffalo hunters that challenges everything he’s ever known.

The film was directed by Gabe Polsky, who also worked as one of the producers and writers with writing help from Liam Satre-Meloy. I’ve never read the book, but I’ve heard the source material is richer than what is portrayed in the film. That’s often the case for book-to-movie adaptations.

THINGS I LIKED:

Fans of Nicolas Cage will get a kick of seeing him in this role. He was hugely popular for a time, then dwindled down to only loyal fans, and is now on a surging upswing again. Good for him. This is the first time we’ve seen him bald in a film.
Other cast members include Jeremy Bob, Xander Berkley, Fred Hechinger, Paul Raci, and Rachel Keller.
Beautiful cinematography by David Gallego.
The powerful and haunting music was by Leo Birenberg.
Title cards on the screen give us an indication of the passage of months.
Will Andrews’ character (played by Fred Hechinger) is looking for meaning in life. He asks Nicolas Cage’s character “Why?” and gets a cold stare in return. It’s fascinating to watch his naiive, smiling face slowly mature as he witnesses unspeakable events.
The movie was shot on land owned by the Blackfeet Nation in Montana. All of the buffalo featured in the film were handled by the Blackfeet Tribe Buffalo Program.
It’s amazing to see so many bison in one place. At the end of the movie, the screen shows us some statistics, explaining that in 1860, an estimated 60,000,000 bison roamed the American West. Two decades later, the bison population plunged to fewer than three hundred. How devastatingly sad. Today, there are approximately 30,000 bison in North America, thanks to efforts made by the Native American tribes and government protections. It’s regarded as one of the greatest conservation stories of all time. In 2016, the American bison was named the “National Mammal.”

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

If you like animals, you’ll have a hard time watching so many buffalos die at the hands of greedy men who just want their pelts. It’s truly heartbreaking.
We just don’t learn enough about the characters and their backstories to feel completely invested in what happens to them. We care more about the innocent bison.
Viewers will spend much of their time waiting for something to “happen.”
There were a surprising number of wooden-acting moments in the town scenes.
Some of the characters don’t seem to serve a real purpose. For example, Xander Berkley plays an old guy who just quotes scriptures and talks about God while on the buffalo hunt.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

We see tons of bloodied bones, hides, animal heads, and other body parts. It’s heartbreaking to see fields of dead, skinned bison.
Talk of prostitutes. We see a man almost buy her services.
Violence (a man beats another man to death)
Men try to survive in perilous conditions.

THEMES:

Purpose and meaning in life
Formal education vs. life experience
The old west and frontier life
Nature and animal life
Ambition and drive
Manliness
Manifest Destiny in the USA
Capitalism
Survival
Slaughtering animals
Greed

FUNNY LINES:

It’s a serious drama.

INTERESTING LINES:

“I work for myself or I don’t work.” – Miller (Nicolas Cage)
“The Lord has no mercy for the foolhardy.” – Charlie (Xander Berkley)
“Tell me, boy, was it worth it?” – (Paul Raci) “I saw what I needed to see.” – Will Andrews (Fred Hechinger)