- Title: Jane Got a Gun
- IMDb: link
When the past catches up with them, Jane Hammond (Natalie Portman) is forced to reach out to her former lover Dan Frost (Joel Edgerton) to save the lives of herself, her wounded husband (Noah Emmerich), and her young daughter from the wicked John Bishop (Ewan McGregor) and his band of outlaws.
Aside from casting a woman in the main role, Jane Got a Gun is a fairly conventional western. However, the choice to make Jane (rather than Dan) the central character in the story is an important one. Presented from her perspective, it’s Jane who slowly opens up about her road after separating with Dan during the Civil War (in which she believed he had died). The heartbreaking reveals mend the relationship between Jane and Dan just in time for one final fight against the men responsible for destroying their lives.
Propelled by character and the looming threat more than plot, Jane Got a Gun succeeds on the strength of its leads while McGregor and Boyd Holbrook provide the right notes as the movie’s black hats.
Unsuccessful at the box office, earning back only one-tenth of the movie’s $25 budget, I guess it’s no surprise that the film is realeased on DVD and Blu-ray without any extras. It may not be director Gavin O’Connor‘s best film, but Jane Got a Gun is worth a look for Portman’s performance and the look of the film courtesy of Mandy Walker‘s cinematography which captures the look and feel of time period beautifully.
[Anchor Bay, Blu-ray $34.99/ DVD $29.98]