Entertainment
A Free Streamer Just Unlocked a “Quirky” 84-Minute Western
A couple of years ago, Michael Fassbender appeared in a memorable supporting role in the rap-musical film Kneecap, set entirely in the Irish language. Kneecap served as a welcome return for Fassbender, who had spent several years away from acting. Around the same time, he starred in the Showtime spy series The Agency, and headlined David Fincher‘s The Killer. Fassbender has always balanced mainstream movies with more experimental fare. Over a decade ago, when he was playing Magneto on the big screen, Fassbender teamed up with his fellow X-Men star Kodi Smit-McPhee on a critically acclaimed Western that disappeared from theaters without making much noise. The movie in question, Slow West, is now more accessible than ever, as it’s streaming for free in the United States.
Released in 2014, Slow West served as the directorial debut of John Maclean. It starred Smit-McPhee as a young Scotsman who travels to America in search of his long-lost love. He is joined in his quest by an Irish bounty hunter, played by Fassbender. Slow West also featured Ben Mendelsohn, who had recently broken out with a searing supporting performance in the Australian thriller Animal Kingdom and had appeared in The Dark Knight Rises. The movie grossed just over $1 million at the box office, but earned excellent reviews. It’s now sitting at a “Certified Fresh” 92% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “Slow West serves as an impressive calling card for first-time writer-director John Maclean — and offers an inventive treat for fans of the Western.”
Kodi Smit-McPhee Has Appeared in More Acclaimed Westerns
Maclean released his sophomore feature, Tornado, only last year. Another Western, the movie was set in the 18th century and featured Jack Lowden, Tim Roth, and Kōki. Fassbender and Smit-McPhee starred in the X-Men reboot franchise, which began with X-Men: First Class in 2010 and ended with X-Men: Dark Phoenix in 2019. Smit-McPhee also delivered acclaimed performances in Matt Reeves‘ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which was released in 2014. He has had a terrific relationship with Westerns, having broken out with The Road, which also featured Viggo Mortensen. More recently, he was part of the Oscar-nominated film The Power of the Dog. You can watch him and Fassbender in Slow West on Pluto TV.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
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May 15, 2015
- Runtime
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84 Minutes
- Director
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John Maclean