Old Henry (2021)

[Winston T. Boogie]

Title: Old Henry (2021)

Tagline: You can't bury the past.

Genre: Western

Director: Potsy Ponciroli

Cast: Tim Blake Nelson, Scott Haze, Gavin Lewis, Stephen Dorff, Trace Adkins, Richard Speight Jr., Max Arciniega, Brad Carter, Kent Shelton

Release: 2021-10-01

Runtime: 99

Plot: A widowed farmer and his son warily take in a mysterious, injured man with a satchel of cash. When a posse of men claiming to be the law come for the money, the farmer must decide who to trust. Defending a siege of his homestead, the farmer reveals a talent for gun-slinging that surprises everyone calling his true identity into question.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Well that looks pretty damn great. Thanks for the heads-up, Reggie!

 

[Keith Cobby]

Sorry your thread hasn't gained any traction.I liked the trailer, the film has an old fashioned feel to it, definitely one for me.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Well, maybe the folks into Westerns 'round these parts will take an interest.

I'm just sort of generally impressed these days when somebody makes a Western. I'd love to see this in a cinema but not sure if or where it may play in one now.

In fact the funny thing when I see something about a picture I want to see now is I have to figure out where the heck to see it. Is it in a cinema, on a streaming service, which streaming service, do I need to subscribe to something to see it, do I just wait for a Blu-ray if that is the case, and will it even get a Blu-ray release if it is released on a streaming service.

It's not like the old days (ha) where I would just check the cinema show times.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, the blu arrived at my house last night and I will hopefully check this out very soon and report back.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm buying the digital once it hits my price point as it's in 4K/HDR on iTunes.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Watched this last night on Blu-ray. Very cool little western with a great turn for Tim Blake Nelson as a single father raising his teenage boy on their farm when trouble rides into their lives in the form of some very violent bad men.

Nelson plays Henry a man struggling to raise his teenage son alone on their remote farm when a riderless horse wanders onto their land. Finding blood on the saddle, Henry heads off to search for the owner of the horse. In doing so he entangles himself and his son with a group of violent and deadly outlaws. Henry's son will learn his father is not as useless nor defenseless as he may have thought.

Nelson is fantastic in this picture as the lead and gets great support from the rest of the cast who are all excellent in their roles. Stephen Dorff plays the lead baddie and boy has he seemed to age into a version of Christopher George...which is kind of awesome. I think this was the most fun I have ever had watching Dorff in a film and he nails his part of really nasty outlaw that likes to chat with the people he is likely going to kill.

Basically, what we get here is a small cast delivering in their roles in a tightly told story that has a twist, which you may or may not spot depending on...

Spoiler: SPOILER

...your knowledge of actual characters from the old west.

While there has been a steady stream of low budget westerns getting made, they have been of varying quality. Apparently Trace Adkins is in many of them but he gets to deliver a great line at Dorff's evil bastard in this. Old Henry is one of the really good ones that rides tall in the saddle and combines all the elements that make for a great western. Solid acting by actors that look like they belong in the old west, outdoor photography, nice locations, great tension developed between the black hats and the good guys, and an overall excellent western yarn. This is an outstanding example of how to make a low budget western where you never think about the fact that it is low budget.

So, all you cowpokes should saddle up for this one as you probably will enjoy this ride.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Again, my big regret with this picture is I did not get to see it in a cinema. I don't recall this playing in any cinemas near me though so I don't think it did.

 

[Mark Booth]

I watched ‘Old Henry’ this morning. Terrific little flick. 4/5 for me.

Mark

 

[DavidJ]

I just heard about this one earlier today. I’m excited to see it.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm buying the digital once it hits my price point as it's in 4K/HDR on iTunes.

The pricing for the iTunes 4K/HDR digital dropped down to $9.99 so I'm going to watch this in the near future.

 

[titch]

Again, my big regret with this picture is I did not get to see it in a cinema. I don't recall this playing in any cinemas near me though so I don't think it did.

It's just opened theatrically in Norway and received good reviews from the local critics. I went and saw it this evening - interesting to see that it is a Shout! production - must be one of their first stabs at film making. A meat-and-potatoes western and not bad.

 

[titch]

Apparently, the budget was $1.5 million - very impressive production for so little. It could barely have covered the horse-feed!

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

It's just opened theatrically in Norway and received good reviews from the local critics. I went and saw it this evening - interesting to see that it is a Shout! production - must be one of their first stabs at film making. A meat-and-potatoes western and not bad.

Great that you got to see it in a theater. Yes, it was a small low budget independent picture but they made the most of what they had. Good story, excellent acting, and well directed and paced. I really liked it a lot. Due to my love of the genre I want to see every Western in a cinema.

Probably my next chance for that is the picture Costner is making as that will probably be the only Western to make it into a cinema near me for some time.

 

[Jeffrey D]

I blind bought this on BluRay, and watched it a while ago. Liked it a lot, and westerns aren’t my first choice in genre for films.

 

[Bernard McNair]

I saw this wonderful western yesterday on Prime (Australia). I love westerns and must say that Old Henry is up there with the best. Intelligently written, beautifully acted, directed and photographed. I would have loved to have seen this in the cinema but I do I not believe that it in cinemas in Australia.
I strongly recommend Old Henry for lovers of classic westerns.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I saw this wonderful western yesterday on Prime (Australia). I love westerns and must say that Old Henry is up there with the best. Intelligently written, beautifully acted, directed and photographed. I would have loved to have seen this in the cinema but I do I not believe that it in cinemas in Australia.
I strongly recommend Old Henry for lovers of classic westerns.

Hell, I still haven't watched my 4K digital yet and it's coming out on 4K disc in September.

 

[jayembee]

I'd been meaning to pick up the UHD for a while now. A few days ago, I noticed it was playing on one of the cable movie networks (forget which one), and watched a bit of it. I was impressed, so I picked up the UHD during my latest trip to Bull Moose.

Terrific film. I was quite surprised at the 2.66:1 aspect ratio. I wish that I'd seen this in a theater.

 

[SamT]

I will see this soon. I love watching new modern Westerns. Surprisingly the older ones don't interest me.