72
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83The PlaylistRodrigo PerezThe PlaylistRodrigo PerezA dark, but spirited fable about the pitilessness of the West, the meaning of home on the range and the worthwhile qualities of wicked, seemingly irredeemable men, “Slow West” is a terrific little parable, and a strong debut by John Maclean worth treasuring.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMaclean's screenplay is unshowy but keen.
- 80VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangJohn Maclean’s impeccably crafted writing-directing debut at times has a distinctly Coen-esque flavor in its mix of sly intelligence, bleak humor and unsettling violence, exuding fierce confidence even when these qualities don’t always cohere in the smoothest or most emotionally impactful fashion.
- The saga, directed by a Scot in New Zealand with no American actors, takes us back to American truths. Guns, greed and rugged nature defined the West, setting the New World apart from the old. The roots run deep.
- 80The New YorkerAnthony LaneThe New YorkerAnthony LaneThe director is John Maclean, making his début, and, if he demonstrates how hard it is to handle whimsy, he more than atones for it with two tremendous set pieces — one in a store, and the other in an isolated homestead, girded with cornfields where a shooter can nestle and hide.
- 80Time OutDavid EhrlichTime OutDavid EhrlichLike any good Western, Slow West percolates with the constant threat of violence, but debuting feature director John Maclean wrings the genre for its mythic value.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreMaclean and his cast create a sound, tone and feel that makes even a moldy tale like this lean, mean and fresh, even if it never quite transcends the gun smoke of its genre.
- 70New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriNew York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriIf Slow West never quite settles on a tone to call its own, it does still offer many pleasures. Fassbender and Smit-McPhee are excellent — the boy's outward bewilderment and unpreparedness play off well against the cowboy’s ragged, stone-faced charisma.
- 50Slant MagazineEd GonzalezSlant MagazineEd GonzalezA pageantry of pseudo-art poses, a self-consciously cool reorientation of the western as silly symphony.