Jane Got A Gun review: Has the troubled production doomed this once promising western?
Luke Ryan Baldock samples the Natalie Portman-led western, which arrives in U.K. cinemas on April 22nd. here’s our Jane Got A Gun review.
Jane Got A Gun review
There’s simply no escaping the controversy surrounding the making of Jane Got A Gun. So much news came out so fast as the film struggled to get under production, and although it was shot back in 2013, it is only now that the film has arrived. Originally set up as a vehicle for Lynne Ramsay to direct, she failed to show up on set due to reported unhappiness with not having final cut. She was soon replaced by Warrior director Gavin O’Connor, only for Jude Law to walk from the production as he signed on specifically to work with Ramsay. Jude Law had replaced Michael Fassbender, an after Law left, Joel Edgerton was bumped up from the smaller antagonist role to the part of Natalie Portman’s Jane’s ex-lover. Bradley Cooper took on the villain role, but soon left due to scheduling conflicts, with finally Ewan McGregor taking the role. Many films have such issues, but as this played out so publicly it made it seem as though the film was in trouble.
Here we are, three years later, and finally we get to see the finished if troubled product. Neither a rip-roaring classic, not an unmitigated disaster, Jane Got A Gun is still a very strong effort with some noticeable flaws. Portman plays the titular Jane, a young woman in the old west. One day her husband, Bill Hammond (Noah Emmerich), returns home riddled with bullets and informs Jane that John Bishop (Ewan McGregor’s outlaw, not the Liverpudlian comedian) is hunting them down. Jane drops off their daughter at a friend’s and then approaches Dan Frost (Edgerton) for help in guarding her home and husband. With obvious tension between the two, Frost declines, and as the film builds up to its bullet flying conclusion, we are treated to flashbacks regarding the past of this strange romantic triangle, as well as their connection to Bishop.
Jane Got A Gun review
Jane Got A Gun comes at a time of a Western renaissance. We’ve already had Bone Tomahawk, The Revenant, and The Hateful Eight this year, and despite such strong competition, Jane Got A Gun still stands out. Portman leads triumphantly as the strong willed Jane determined to protect those she loves. She’s not just a strong woman in the west though, as she has to earn such a title and Portman portrays the struggles very well. There’s still time for romance as well with the complexities of love clearly laid out. Jane and Dan both believe the other betrayed them in some way, while Bill has a criminal past which taints his character. A sense of mystery regarding the relationships adds a lot to the film, as we wonder whether Jane truly loves the man she married, or whether it is a relationship of fear and necessity.
The visuals are a delight, with golden oranges highlighting both life and death, a recurring theme as we see Jane adapt to her situation. The film’s narrative is splintered into a series of flashbacks, and this is where the film feels most uneven. Many such scenes just feel as though they come at the wrong time, instantly explaining certain character relationships rather than allowing them fester in the present. They come so thick and fast that they also seem rushed as the film tries to keep us focused on the upcoming mayhem. Jane Got A Gun lacks confidence in this respect, trying to make an obvious intended slow-burner into something quicker.
Jane Got A Gun review
This is far from a nail in the coffin however. The strong performances will keep you engaged, as do some of the more well-handled emotional moments. While shots are fired, we feel what each one means, and what the men in Jane’s life mean to her. McGregor relishes his turn as a villain, while many of the set pieces exhibit unbearable tension. Jane Got A Gun does seem as though at one time it could have been an extraordinary film, and although it doesn’t quite capitalise on its talent it’s still a film that is both enjoyable and emotional.
Jane Got A Gun review by Luke Ryan Baldock, April 2016.
Jane Got A Gun is out in cinemas on 22nd April.
