Underneath this story of a modern southern family feud, is a Ford / Wayne western struggling to get out. If you dressed the men in ten gallon hats, cowboy boots, gave them a horse, holster and guns, and shifted the story back to the end of the 19th century, you wouldn't know the difference.
However, that is what is so admirable about the movie. The fact that it is a modern take on the western, investigating the same themes and ideas. Yet, the feel of the film is more that of a seventies Americana indie movie - The sparse realistic dialogue, the vast cinematic sweeps, and the ambient washes of sound. Nichols has obviously struggled with a small budget and lack of studio interest, but he brings us a movie that shows that given more money and a more complex screenplay he could prove to be a significant directoral talent.
However, that is what is so admirable about the movie. The fact that it is a modern take on the western, investigating the same themes and ideas. Yet, the feel of the film is more that of a seventies Americana indie movie - The sparse realistic dialogue, the vast cinematic sweeps, and the ambient washes of sound. Nichols has obviously struggled with a small budget and lack of studio interest, but he brings us a movie that shows that given more money and a more complex screenplay he could prove to be a significant directoral talent.