7/10
Making their first on-screen appearance together, Kiefer and Donald Sutherland provide a major boost to the low-key, entertaining western FORSAKEN, a sturdy, if familiar, tale of a gunfighter trying to move away from his violent past, only to run into trouble once again.
This time, the hero is John Henry Clayton (Kiefer), the son of a reverend (Donald, Kiefer’s real-life father) who hasn’t returned to his Wyoming home since the end of the Civil War. John Henry is hiding a past he’s not proud of, while his estranged father can’t come to grips with his departure. Complicating matters is a gang running their small town, including a railroad man (Brian Cox) who’s using both a gang of hooligans (presided over by Aaron Poole) and a slick gun-for-hire (Michael Wincott) to do his bidding and take over the farms of local residents.
Brad Birman’s script is filled with western archetypes: the grizzled hero who has to take up arms one last time; the love (Demi Moore) he left behind years before; the tyrannical villain with purely financial motives; and a final confrontation that settles both the past and the present for all involved.
With its intentional use of classic genre components, “Forsaken” feels familiar in a good way. Credit Kiefer’s long-time “24" director Jon Cassar, who’s made a richly textured little film that might be short on surprises but provides a robust forum for the first-ever teaming of the Sutherlands. Both are in fine form here, with Kiefer playing a man who only resorts to violence when absolutely backed into a corner, and his veteran, more emotive father sparring with him over his past. They’re so good here that it’s stunning it took this long to get them together on-screen. There’s also action, a dash of romance, some attractive cinematography courtesy of Rene Ohashi – shot in Alberta, Canada – and a marvelous cast that also includes the best performances Wincott and Moore have given in some time.
“Forsaken” isn’t a minor classic but for western fans and admirers of the cast, it’s a good-looking and moody, character-driven piece that eventually delivers a warmly satisfying ending, capped by a nice score by Jonathan Goldsmith.
The $20-million budgeted film, which was shot three years ago, makes its Blu-Ray debut from E One’s Momentum Pictures this week. The 1080p (2.40) AVC encoded transfer is strong and the 5.1 DTS MA sound is elaborately mixed with plenty of directional effects. A 12-minute behind-the-scenes featurette is the sole extra.