Since February 6th, the Western “Old Henry” is available on the streaming service Amazon Prime, featuring an outstanding Tim Blake Nelson. MyMMO author Schuhmann considers it a must-see for any Western fan.
This is how the film begins: On a ranch in the middle of nowhere, a thin man raises his son with Bible verses and hard work. The mother has been dead for a long time, and the two don’t get along very well. The boy wants to play with guns, go hunting, have some experiences, maybe move to town, while the father primarily wants peace and to feed the pigs.
Then a stray horse trots up to the farm. The father looks for the rider, finds a wounded man, hesitates for a moment, turns around, and rides away.
It could all be so easy, but Old Henry hesitates again, turns back once more, takes the man to his ranch, and invites trouble. Because, of course, the man is being chased by a gang of killers, and even though Old Henry surprisingly covers his tracks well, it doesn’t take long before three shady characters show up in front of his ranch to inquire about how old Henry is doing.
A Silent Man at the Center of a Harsh Film
What makes the film special: Tim Blake Nelson is known as a quirky side character from “O Brother Where Art Thou” – in Old Henry, he silently dominates every scene. The viewer quickly suspects that there’s more to the thin man than meets the eye, but never quite grasps who he really is.
The silent man is contrasted by his talkative son, who has an idealized vision of what life in the Wild West must be like and does not understand that his father is trying to protect him from exactly that life.
The “stranger” on the farm is mysterious, just like the tough men pursuing him.
For a long time, the core of the film remains uncertain, only breaking fully through in the last minutes. Like every good Western, “Old Henry” has a tremendous showdown, initiated by the revelation of the twist, which only ends when the last bullet is fired.
How is the film rated? Old Henry has a “Fresh Score” of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it stands at 7.3/10 on IMDB. Metacritic drops a bit with 69%.
We give a clear viewing recommendation to anyone who doesn’t immediately saddle up the horses and look for a way out at the mention of Westerns.
Old Henry is available in German on Amazon Prime. It is recommended for viewers aged 16 and older.
More film recommendations on Amazon Prime: I avoided a film from a great director because I thought it was cheesy – I was wrong
