Molly DeCastro is a New York-based emerging film and entertainment journalist with a personal passion for poetic prose and impactful storytelling. She graduated from Pace University with a degree in English and a concentration in creative writing. While film analysis is at the heart of her work, she is especially interested in exploring cinema through an anthropological lens and in examining how creative themes reflect cultural identity. She aims to forge a deep connection between audiences and film through thoughtful and evocative writing.
She also enjoys keeping up with all things film! That means specializing in industry news, emerging directors, and stand-out projects.
Jon Cassar’s no-frills western drama, Forsaken, follows John Henry Clayton, played by Keifer Sutherland, a former hot-shot gunfighter, who returns home seeking redemption and reconciliation. However, upon his arrival, Clayton quickly realizes things aren’t quite like he left them. An old love lost to time, new ruthless land-grabbing antagonists, and his estranged father force this homeward-bound cowboy to question whether he can truly leave his violent past behind. Ten years later, Prime Video's well-loved western picture is still celebrated by critics and audiences alike.
Many say the film benefits from the expertly cast on-screen pair of real-life father and son, Donald and Kiefer Sutherland. Additionally, the film includes a further star-studded cast, including but not limited to: Demi Moore as Clayton’s forlorn old flame Mary Alice Watson and Brian Cox as an unscrupulous land baron and Clayton’s primary antagonist. This, combined with the classically riveting grit of an old western, makes for a truly incredible watch.
To state it plainly, this film makes no attempt at reinventing the wheel, per se. However, within it's traditional western attributes belies its defining strengths. Take the premise itself, for example. How many old, warn out, morally-grey-hero-returning-home flics have audiences seen? More likely than not: infinity. Tons of so-called reinventions of this classic premise have been slapped across silver screens worldwide. However, Forsaken digs into this cliche with reckless abandon. In fact, the script even begins with a classic: "Well, well, well..." Upon Clayton's fateful return.
John Henry Clayton, a lone gunman, attempts to leave his life of violence behind in hopes of appeasing his preacher father, Reverend Clayton. As he returns home, he is met with an unexpected threat. A railroad is coming, and a ruthless property developer, by the name of James McCurdy, expects each townie in its wake to close up shop and ditch the place. To say the very least, he's willing to resort to just about anything to make it happen. As McCurdy and his gang begin to resort to violence, Clayton finds it increasingly difficult to let sleeping dogs lie, as his violent past creeps its way to the present. This, combined with the wonderful depth captured between each of the lead characters, allow the film to rise from a boring remake, to a classic benchmark.
"A rock and a hard place is what we call Monday."
In a film such as Forsaken, expert characterization and portrayal are each essential qualities for success. In each respect, this picture did not disappoint. In particular, both Moore and Cox's performances struck as rather convincing and, more than that, truly entertaining.
Despite how little screentime was afforded to Demi Moore’s character, her portrayal of Mary Alice Watson was poignantly modest and understated in a highly believable manor. The essence of her character is her wistful, barely there, almost ghostly presence. She is a past love, whose flickering flame still seems to haunt Clayton, with whom she has wonderful chemistry with. Flowers are certainly deserved in respect to her bittersweet realism. And despite her “B-plot” title, it woudlve been nice to see more of her. Cox, on the other hand, is perfect in opposition to the almost translucent quality of Watson. Cox provides a truly menacing presence to the screen. And that very realistically grounds both the film and the town’s defining threat. His authoritative control and humorous, hammy, depiction push the film even further into the classic southern archetype. He creates a truly palpable tension on screen through his sharp conviction and pure villainy.
In summary, Jon Cassar's Forsaken is a film for those looking to indulge in cliche western entertainment. The unrelenting revisiting of classic tropes makes for a truly fun watch, and the expert portrayals of each player involved ground the film expertly. This terribly underrated western is often forgotten and left out of conversations for one possible reason. The genre of western dramas has become so convoluted, audiences have lost touch with classics. Filmmakers are throwing far too many overly modernized twists at what could already be considered enough respectively. Forsaken digs into the beauty of sticking to what the genre knows, and executes it perfectly.
