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When the film “Butcher’s Crossing” began making its way along the festival circuit last year, it was promoted as being the first time that its star, Nicolas Cage , had ever done a Western. This revelation seemed so unlikely that I immediately went to IMDb to see if it was true or not. After all, considering the sheer number of films that Cage has done over the years and the number of genres he has dabbled in during that time, it didn’t seem plausible that Hailee Steinfeld could have more oaters to her credit than him. But, astonishing as it sounds, it turned out to be true. While Cage has done several films that have included elements and themes inspired by the genre (including " Prisoners of the Ghostland ," "Pig," and " Raising Arizona "), "Butcher's Crossing" was indeed the first time he had ever loaded up his metaphorical saddlebags and tackled the Western in a straightforward manner.

Cage seems determined to make up for lost time because now comes director Brett Donowho 's “The Old Way,” his second stab at the genre and a far more traditional example than the more revisionist take found in his earlier effort. However, while that previous film—an environmentally conscious epic in which he played an Ahab-like frontiersman on an obsessive search for a hidden valley of buffalo that he can slaughter—was not without interest, "The Old Way" seems determined to prove that Cage’s previous avoidance of the genre was perhaps a wise move.

Cage plays Colton Briggs, a cold-hearted gunslinger going about his brutal and bloody business in the film’s prologue. However, when the story picks up 20 years later, he has left all of that behind. Now, he's married to the lovely Ruth (Kerry Knuppe), with whom he has a young daughter named Brooke ( Ryan Kiera Armstrong ), and runs the local general store in the nearby town. But, of course, as a slightly better movie once stated, just because he is through with the past doesn’t mean that the past is through with him. One day, after he is coerced into walking Brooke to school before opening up the store, Ruth is cornered by a quartet of men led by escaped convict James McCallister ( Noah Le Gros ). She doesn’t know them, but James certainly knows her husband—Colton killed his father right before his eyes when he was a small boy—and proceeds to brutally murder her as a way of sending a message to him.

When Colton and Brooke return home and discover what has happened, it doesn’t take long for him to shift into revenge mode to go off in pursuit of Ruth’s killers. The one hitch is Brooke's presence, and when his initial plan for taking care of her fails to go through, he winds up taking her along on his quest. Along the way, he teaches her to shoot and to take care of herself, and we eventually learn the explanation for their oddly frosty relationship dynamic—neither one is able to process emotions like grief and fear in “normal” ways. This may not be suitable for interpersonal relationships, but it can be an advantage when heading off on the kind of dangerous journey they have embarked upon. Eventually, the two arrive at the town where McCallister has holed up with his men to craft his elaborate revenge all those years ago.

The screenplay by Carl W. Lucas is an amalgam of bits cribbed from other Westerns (“True Grit” is perhaps the most apparent antecedent, especially in the too-loquacious-by-half dialogue) along with elements from the likes of “River of No Return” and “ Unforgiven ”). There are also moments that will remind Cage fans of his previous work—the previous attempt at taking care of Brooke is reminiscent of one of the more notorious scenes from “ Kick-Ass ,” and the basic plot will strike some as similar to the wonderful “Pig.” However, "The Old Way" never quite manages to knit these elements into a compelling narrative. Some of the plot contrivances—such as McCallister’s determination to pull off his wildly contrived and labor-intensive revenge plot instead of just shooting him when he has the chance, as he is advised to do by crusty cohort Eustice ( Clint Howard )—become silly after a while. (Suffice it to say, if you are in an Old West gang and the wisest and sanest counsel comes from the Clint Howard character, you might want to try applying to another gang.) There's one potentially intriguing element to be had in the emotional quirks possessed by Colton and Brooke, but the film never develops it to any significant degree.

"The Old Way" is also hampered by what is presumably its key selling point, the Cage performance. His work isn’t necessarily bad (although there are a couple of moments where he seems to be doing a dry run for his upcoming turn as Dracula, of all things), but his primary persona is so contemporary that he inevitably feels wildly out of place in what is meant to be a traditional take on the Western. (Since “Butcher’s Crossing” was more of a commentary on the genre than an example, his presence there wasn’t quite as odd.) As the bad guy, his oddness might have been a better fit (in fact, Le Gros at times seems to be actively channeling the Cage of old as the twisted villain). Still, as the hero—even one with as many quirks as his character contains—he never manages to be especially convincing.

Perhaps if more Westerns were being made these days, “The Old Way”—which is more of a half-baked mistake than a total disaster—might have been a little palatable or at least easier to forgive. However, at a time when interest in the theatrical Western appears to be at an all-time low and when even a film as strong and vibrant as Walter Hill ’s masterful “ Dead for a Dollar ” barely inspires any notice, even a seemingly minor misfire like this, with a screenplay that bounces between portentousness and silliness, listless execution by director Brett Donowho, and a somewhat miscast star, winds up looming larger than it might otherwise have. The Western may not be entirely dead yet, but “The Old Way” is not exactly doing it any favors.

Now playing in theaters and available on demand and on digital platforms on January 13th.

Peter Sobczynski

A moderately insightful critic, full-on Swiftie and all-around bon vivant , Peter Sobczynski, in addition to his work at this site, is also a contributor to The Spool and can be heard weekly discussing new Blu-Ray releases on the Movie Madness podcast on the Now Playing network.

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Film credits.

The Old Way (2023)

Rated R for violence.

Nicolas Cage as Colton Briggs

Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Brooke Briggs

Clint Howard as Eustice

Abraham Benrubi as Big Mike

Shiloh Fernandez as Boots

Nick Searcy as Marshal Jarret

Brett Donowho
Carl W. Lucas

Cinematographer

Sion Michel
Frederick Wardell
Andrew Morgan Smith

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‘The Old Way’ Review: Mild Mild West

Nicolas Cage phones it in as a deadly, taciturn gunslinger in this middling western.

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In a scene from the film, a man outdoors wearing a cowboy hat.

By Calum Marsh

“The Old Way” is a cheap, run-of-the-mill western, which is an appealing quality. We don’t get a lot of westerns these days, and when we do, they tend to be serious and substantial, like “ Wind River ” or “ The Power of the Dog .” In the 1930s and the 1940s, studios like RKO, Monogram and Republic were churning out dozens of low-budget westerns as B pictures annually, and though not all were great films, the cumulative impression was of a vibrant genre teeming with technical skill and creative brilliance. I can’t recommend “The Old Way” — so blandly written and listlessly directed — on the strength of its individual merits. At the same time, I wish we had 50 movies like it coming out every year.

The director, Brett Donowho, previously directed “Acts of Violence” (2018) , one of those dismal Bruce Willis shoot-em-ups that looks like the star strolled onto the set for an afternoon by accident. “The Old Way” has a similarly perfunctory feel, with Nicolas Cage sleepwalking through his role as the ruthless Montana cowboy Colton Briggs, roused from gunslinging retirement by a lackluster quest for revenge. Alongside his adolescent daughter Brooke (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), Briggs pursues a nondescript gang of black hats, led by the nefarious, speechifying James McCallister (Noah Le Gros).

It’s a distinctly low-effort affair across the board, from the simplistic plotting (our heroes chase the bad guys, then find them) to Cage’s performance, absent any of the self-aware wit he demonstrated in last year’s “ The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent .” And while it’s true that a certain tepid aspect is common to most B westerns, those of the ’ 30s and ’ 40s were made with a baseline competence that “The Old Way” is woefully lacking.

The Old Way Rated R for some graphic violence, torture and strong language. Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes. In theaters.

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The Old Way Reviews

In the end The Old Way is minor Cage in a minor film, but lovers of Westerns and sleight-of-hand acting will find it a tolerable amusement.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Jun 9, 2023

Yep! It's an oater like a saddle fits a horse.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Mar 29, 2023

There's little originality in Carl W. Lucas's contrive, utterly predictable script, blandly directed by Brett Donowho. Don't bother with this dismal Western.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Mar 20, 2023

Fans of westerns know the appeal of simple B-movies, but this one is still a bit disappointing.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 2, 2023

There IS a movie in there somewhere. I don’t know if they just needed more time or if they felt like they had gold on their hands but it could have benefited from one more trip through the drafting phase.

Full Review | Feb 7, 2023

We all want to see Nicolas Cage play a cowboy. The Old Way is not getting the job done.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 28, 2023

It’s a paint-by-numbers Western but Brett Donowho, directing a woeful script by Carl W. Lucas, could barely keep the colours within the lines.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 25, 2023

I had a mild revelation while watching The Old Way, a new Western revenge drama with comedic overtones directed by Brett Donowho and written by Carl W. Lucas: ‘Oh, I guess it is possible to make Nicolas Cage boring. Who knew!’

Full Review | Jan 23, 2023

Director Brett Downwho cleverly avoids unnecessary flourishes, leaving that to the adept cast. So the film strikes a traditional Wild West tone.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jan 19, 2023

The lack of nuance in the script hobbles what could have been an edgy feud that spans two decades but ends up slack, by-the-numbers and lacking in character development.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 18, 2023

For the 42 people who have lived for 30 years with the unanswered question of "What would Unforgiven be like if it were a Nic Cage movie?" -- here's the answer.

Full Review | Jan 18, 2023

It's just so bland and cheap-looking.

The Old Way’s six-shooter is just firing blanks.

Nicolas Cage phones in a performance which is too serious for the rousing shoot-‘em-up western this wants to be at times and not nearly serious enough for the underwritten Unforgiven backstory that slows everything to a crawl.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 16, 2023

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 16, 2023

Gropes around at some promising ideas. But the movie is cut too close to the bone, pulling back to meat-and-potatoes genre beats whenever things threaten to get really interesting.

Full Review | Jan 14, 2023

... The best that can be said for The Old Way is that there’s only just over an hour and a half of it.

This simple Western ultimately doesn't have terribly much to say, but Cage's hard-as-an-anvil performance, his chemistry with young Armstrong, and some playful dialogue make it worth a look.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 13, 2023

Thankfully, the film delivers a few little surprises before we get to the inevitable showdown with Noah Le Gros’s outlaw.

Though Cage and Armstrong’s father-daughter dynamic merits praise, The Old Way tries so hard to emulate Westerns past that it squanders a gilt-edged opportunity to do something new.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 13, 2023

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Nicolas Cage and Ryan Kiera Armstrong in The Old Way.

The Old Way review – Nicolas Cage lifts generic western retread

This predictable tale of a vengeful gunslinger is redeemed by the moving father-daughter dynamic between Cage and Ryan Kiera Armstrong

A grizzled frontier shopkeeper must draw on his outlaw gunslinger past to avenge the murder of his wife, in this generic western retread. The key to the approach is in the title – there’s a timeworn predictability in everything from the plot (variations of this story have been told many times before, most recently in the superior Old Henry ) to the big, expansive, Alfred Newman-inspired score, to the widescreen wild west backdrop.

Two elements make the picture worth watching: one is Nicolas Cage, wearily brutal as Colton Briggs, a man who has already completed a lifetime’s worth of killing. The other is Ryan Kiera Armstrong, playing his 12-year-old daughter Brooke, a chip off the old block. Both Colton and Brooke struggle to manifest the “normal’ emotional responses. Their revenge is coolly efficient; their relationship – the only unconventional element in the picture – is angular, uncomfortable and unexpectedly affecting.

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‘The Old Way’ Review: Nicolas Cage Leads a Familiar and Forgettable Western

Not even Nicolas Cage can save this movie from feeling like a dusty retread of past Westerns.

It's tough to imagine an audience that would be satisfied with The Old Way , a new Western starring Nicolas Cage . One would presume that Cage-heads would be the film's primary target, but super fans of the oftentimes grandiose actor will likely find themselves disappointed by the actor's muted performance here. The same goes for anyone hoping Cage will unleash one of his brilliantly introspective performances that suddenly reminds everyone how fantastic an actor he can be when he gets the right material and really puts his mind to it. (See: 2021's worthwhile Pig .) We don't get either of those versions of Cage here. So removing him from the equation, what we're left with is an overly generic genre picture that seems confused about whether it wants to be a classic throwback to a Western revenge movie or a modern update of one.

In the beginning, The Old Way hews more toward the former. Directed by Brett Donowho from a script by Carl W. Lucas , the film opens with a typical Western trope—a good old-fashioned hangin'. Things go sideways after an escape attempt, and the dusty street ends up littered with bodies, all at the hands of Colton Briggs (Cage), a hired gunslinger who leaves a young boy, now fatherless, behind at the scene to deal with the wreckage. Cut to 20 years later, and Briggs has hung up his guns for a much quieter life. He lives with his wife, Ruth ( Kerry Knuppe ), and daughter, Brooke ( Ryan Kiera Armstrong ) in a small country cabin and manages a humble store in town. Early scenes are set in sun-dappled fields with a soaring orchestral score playing overtop images of tall grass blowing in the wind, and fans of the genre should feel right at home. It doesn't take long, however, before the tranquility is interrupted by a gang of outlaws, led by the wild-eyed James McCallister ( Noah Le Gros ), who shows up at the Briggs homestead looking to start some trouble. While Colton and Brooke are minding the store, the outlaws terrorize and eventually murder Ruth, awakening the killer inside Colton and sending both him and his daughter on a mission of revenge.

If all of this sounds like extremely standard stuff, that's because it very much is. The Old Way borrows liberally from stalwarts of the genre like True Grit (either version) and Unforgiven , as Colton and Brooke team up to methodically track down and kill McCallister and his gang and just maybe learn a bit about each other along the way. And a short journey it is; at a brief 95 minutes, The Old Way moves you through the expected plot points in a hurry. The film's only other notable characters are a group of U.S. Marshals, led by Justified 's Nick Searcy , who are going after McCallister themselves and would prefer Briggs just stay out of the way. None of them register much as characters, though there is an amusing scene where they make themselves at home in Briggs' cabin, helping themselves to the food in the house, after assuming the whole family had been killed.

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Despite its overreliance on classic archetypes and tropes, The Old Way also finds itself getting fidgety inside a classical Western framework. The acting and dialogue are too modern, and there are times when the film seems like it's pushing to include some non-traditional points of reference. Early on, the film intentionally builds up an aura around Briggs—one character warns that "you boys have woke up the devil"—that feels positively John Wick -ish. But the film stops short of porting over any of that series' panache, and the action here, like everything else, is overly basic.

Instead, the film occasionally chooses to veer in a more serious direction in spots. There's a bit early in the film, after his wife's death, where Briggs points his pistol at his daughter while she's sleeping, thinking he needs to choose between raising his daughter properly or violently taking her out of a world where he returns to the man he once was. The girl suddenly wakes up and blankly says, "Mama wouldn't like you pointing a gun at me." The scene comes across as so awkward -- and is so flatly acted -- that I thought for sure it would be revealed to be a short dream sequence. But it's not, and it instead ends up serving as the first hint that both Briggs and his daughter likely deal with mental health struggles, if not outright psychopathic tendencies. Which could be interesting! But aside from one campfire conversation between Colton and Brooke later in the film (which is again a little tonally bizarre), The Old Way doesn't bother to spend much time expanding upon that point, instead zipping along toward its shootout climax.

For any of this to work, the audience needs to become entirely invested in the inner turmoil of its lead characters. But, for long stretches, Cage plays Briggs as just kind of a grump, rather than a haunted man dealing with loss and his own personal demons. Armstrong, who starred in last year's Firestarter remake , fares somewhat better considering her age, although she gets tripped up by a role that hinges on emotional beats that feel either inconsistent or unearned at a script level. Honestly, the movie's most engaging performance might come from Clint Howard of all people, as he plays a cantankerous, older member of McCallister's gang who gets no respect but rightfully fears Briggs. Howard is at least fun to watch, injecting a bit of life into each of his scenes.

Otherwise, there's really nothing here that should interest anyone outside of Cage and Western completionists. The Old Way just feels too formulaic to leave any sort of impact. And though there are a few instances where it feints at pushing the boundaries of the genre, it ends up pulling back because its short runtime and limited scope just don't allow for much exploration past whatever the actors are able to bring to the roles themselves (which, in this case, unfortunately, isn't enough). Ultimately, we've seen this all done before and done better.

The Old Way is playing in theaters now and will be available on digital and on-demand on January 13.

Flickering Myth

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Movie Review – The Old Way (2023)

February 13, 2023 by Robert Kojder

The Old Way , 2023.

Directed by Brett Donowho. Starring Nicolas Cage, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Clint Howard, Abraham Benrubi, Shiloh Fernandez, Nick Searcy, Skyler Stone, Eddie Spears, Dean Armstrong, Noah Le Gros, Kerry Knuppe, Adam Lazarre-White, Boyd Kestner, Beau Linnell, Joe Pepper, Jeff Medley, Corby Griesenbeck, Everett Blunck, and Brett Donowho.

An old gunslinger and his daughter must face the consequences of his past when the son of a man he murdered years ago arrives to take his revenge.

Once a ruthless killer that seemingly betrayed close friends along the way (or didn’t care about collateral death), Nicolas Cage’s Colton Briggs has miraculously been molded into a mellowed-out family man by his wife Ruth (Kerry Knuppe), also a father to young Brooke (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) that doesn’t mind the occasional gender role reversal parenting (such as walking her to school before opening his general store.) In The Old Way , Nicolas Cage plays a changed man who can easily revert to his old ways if push comes to shove (like so many other examples in this subgenre of weathered old men desperately trying to hang onto a renewed sense of normalcy.)

For director Brett Donowho ( Acts of Violence ), the old way also refers to the phasing out of the Wild West as Colton found peace and purpose. So when tragedy strikes, and he feels compelled to take up arms, Marshal Jarrett (Nick Searcy) asserts that he and his deputies will find and detain the ones responsible, eventually leading to a trial and their inevitable hangings. Unsurprisingly, Colton cannot sit back and let the lawmen and justice system go to work, waking up Brooke and bringing her along on a quest for vengeance.

Much like her father, Brooke struggles to express emotions. The lawmen can’t help but notice she doesn’t shed tears over her mother’s death, likely due to the cold and strict parenting she knows. In some ways, father and daughter are mirror images of one another, with perhaps the last step to a fully shared identity being Brooke emerging into a remorseless killer as her father once was, giving that up for a more fulfilling life. As such, during the father-daughter bonding aspects of The Old Way , it’s occasionally intentionally uncomfortable watching him possibly teach her torture methods (thankfully, he doesn’t) or how to wield a firearm properly.

Nicolas Cage also proves to be a valuable asset here (no one performs grieving quite like him, consistently striking the balance between internal pain and acting with a capital A), striking up believable chemistry with Ryan Kiera Armstrong and a moving bond that genuinely leads to an emotional climax (although stronger writing and direction would have played up these themes and homed in on the changing of the times more.)

Meanwhile, the cold-blooded killers led by Noah Le Gros’ James McCallister, who has an obvious connection to Colton, are generic and one-dimensional. The henchmen are misguidedly played for comedic relief and often feel ripped from a different movie entirely. A truly wonky script from Carl W. Lucas does the on-screen talent any services (there’s a painfully awkward early exchange between Colton and his wife.)

There’s also nothing exciting about the action or shootouts beyond some striking locations. However, it is slightly forgivable, considering the story leads to a classic gunslinging showdown with a twist and with weight and stakes. One half of The Old Way is a confused tonal blunder, but the father-daughter dynamic, not to mention solid performances from Nicolas Cage and Ryan Kiera Armstrong, overcome the misfires. It’s got enough Cage grit to work.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd , or email me at [email protected]

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The Old Way Review

Over 100 films into a career that’s most recently seen him play a grief-stricken truffle hunter ( Pig ) and not one, but two meta versions of himself ( The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent ), it’s genuinely shocking that The Old Way is Nicolas Cage ’s first out-and-out Western. ( Butcher's Crossing , another Cage Western which premiered at Toronto last year, is yet to be released.) Unfortunately, that’s about the only surprising element of Brett Donowho’s film, a by-numbers revenger set in the dying days of the Old West that unfavourably recalls Cage’s DTV era.

A pre-title prologue introduces us to Cage’s bounty hunter, Colton Briggs, whose prodigious skills with a six-shooter are shown off as he turns a town square hanging into an impromptu bloodbath. With his Yosemite Sam ‘tache and a Wayne-worthy stare — which ends up fixed on the son of one of the men he’s just dispatched in a moment of foreshadowing that’s about as subtle as anything gets here — Cage convinces as a cold-blooded killer.

A blandly shot, cheap-looking pastiche of a hundred better Westerns.

When we rejoin him twenty years later, Colton's hung up his holster and lost the facial shrubbery, and is now living out a prairie dream with his soon-to-be-fridged wife Ruth (Kerry Knuppe) and their daughter Brooke (Ryan Kiera Armstrong). But then James McAllister (an exuberant if scattershot Noah Le Gros) and a brainless band of ruffians arrive to avenge his father, and things swiftly take a turn for the True Grit from there.

The most frustrating thing about The Old Way isn’t so much that it’s a blandly shot, cheap-looking pastiche of a hundred better Westerns with scant stylistic ambition or narrative depth: at least bland is forgettable. No, what really rankles is that Donowho and screenwriter Carl W. Lucas actually have an ace up their sleeve — two, in fact — that they continually fail to play, or at least play effectively.

Whether driven by screenplay, direction, or performance, Colton and Brooke exhibit clear signs of neurodivergence. Early on, we see Brooke meticulously sorting beans; later, she perfectly mimics a rant she heard days ago about apples without faltering. In a standout fireside scene which sees Armstrong and Cage on top form, Colton and Brooke bond over their shared emotional incapacities. It could have been fascinating to explore how these characters navigate and process a changing world at a time where autism wasn’t even a word. Instead, everything proceeds as predicted, right up to an eye-rolling “Let’s do this the old way!” at the end. Based on the preceding 90 minutes, maybe let’s not, actually.

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The Old Way review: Nicolas Cage elevates dusty Western

“Nicolas Cage's first Western doesn't blaze any new trails, but it does boast fine performances from its lead and co-star Ryan Kiera Armstrong.”

Nicolas Cage elevates the film
Some surprisingly emotional moments
Standout performance from Ryan Kiera Armstrong
Predictable, formulaic story
Forgettable villains

A good Western can cover a lot of ground, literally and thematically. Hollywood’s best Westerns tend to use the genre to explore complicated historical, emotional, and personal subject matter, sometimes with nuance, but more often with the sort of explosive, straightforward stories that create a trail of bodies and plenty of moral uncertainty among the story’s principal characters.

Director Brett Donowho’s The Old Way keeps things simple, but the film’s familiar tale of a grizzled gunslinger whose bloody past catches up with him still manages to deliver a few surprises, along with an entertaining performance from Nicolas Cage .

Based on a script penned by Carl W. Lucas, The Old Way casts Cage as Colton Briggs, a former gunfighter whose quiet life as a husband and father is torn apart by the adult son of a man he killed years earlier. Determined to avenge the murder of his wife, Colton sets out with his young, emotionally distant daughter to hunt down the man who brought his retirement to a brutal end.

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While Cage is front and center as the film’s cold-blooded gunslinger, he’s joined in the cast by Firestarter star Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Brooke, Colton’s daughter. Noah Le Gros ( The Beach House ) plays James McCallister, whose father was killed by Colton decades earlier, while Shiloh Fernandez (Evil Dead), Abraham Benrubi (ER), and Clint Howard ( Apollo 13 ) play the members of McCallister’s’ gang.

On the surface, The Old Way is a fairly traditional, by-the-numbers Western. Anyone familiar with the tropes of the genre will have a good idea early on where the story is headed and who’s likely to live or die among the cast. Colton and Brooke’s dogged pursuit of McCallister’s and his gang leaves little time to delve into backstories, and the film’s villains are only developed enough to provide the occasional interlude as the story follows the father and daughter’s journey. When the two groups’ narratives finally reach a bloody intersection, the result is so predictable within the conventions of the genre and safe (narratively speaking) that it feels a bit anticlimactic.

What does set The Old Way apart from similar stories, however, are the performances from Cage and Armstrong, as well as some of the decisions it makes regarding their characters.

Cage is, as always, fascinating to watch as Colton. He’s great at playing simmering characters teetering on the edge of a moral divide, and Colton is exactly that sort of character, full of seething potential and equipped with a resting killer face. The script has Cage pivot between a more traditional man of few words archetype and a tortured soul whose bitterness pours out in a torrent of dialogue whenever someone inadvertently breaks the seal.

Armstrong plays off Cage’s character well, too, and the pair’s awkward relationship feels entirely in keeping with the genetics their characters share. The story’s exploration of their relationship sets the stage for one of the film’s few surprises, too, as Colton and Brooke gradually find common ground in the separation they feel from society.

Rather than simply paint Colton as a cold-blooded gun for hire and move on, the film explores the ease with which Cage’s character handles death and how it relates to the difficulty he has in connecting with people. What he reveals about the way his mind works and his relationship to the world around him would likely fall under Asperger’s syndrome or another disorder on the autism spectrum today, but in the Wild West era, it’s easy to see how the hand he was dealt in life turned him into the misunderstood man he is.

Cage delivers this fresh spin on the lone gunslinger to peak effect — particularly as Colton begins to realize that his daughter has inherited many of the same qualities that caused him so much suffering over the years. His desperation to set her on a different path offers some of the film’s most powerful moments, and differentiates The Old Way in some small — but effective — ways from the countless films it borrows from.

While the rest of the film holds few surprises, the performances by Cage and Armstrong in The Old Way elevate an otherwise rote Western into something far more entertaining. The film doesn’t take many risks and doesn’t take its character into many unexpected places, but it does tweak a few traditional elements in some intriguing ways that turn The Old Way into a story worth seeing through to its explosive finale.

Directed by Brett Donowho, The Old Way is now in select theaters, and available for on-demand streaming January 13.

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Montana Story is not a film about cowboys, cowgirls, shootouts, or the bloodied history of the American West. Instead, it’s a film about two estranged siblings who are brought back together when their father enters a coma and they are forced to begin saying goodbye to their family ranch. The kids are not ranchers, and neither was their father. As a matter of fact, one of the siblings even clarifies at one point in Montana Story that their father was never a rancher. He just bought the ranch because he liked the idea of it.

For those reasons, one may dispute Montana Story’s status as a contemporary Western. But the new film from writer-director duo Scott McGehee and David Siegel feels uniquely attuned to the draw and sorrow of the American West. The region’s history has been marred by bloodshed and thievery, but the expansive nature of Big Sky Country is still powerful enough to make it seem like the region’s forgotten promise of freedom is one that still exists.

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REVIEW: Nicolas Cage Carries the Basic but Satisfying Western The Old Way

Even if nearly everything about Nicolas Cage Western The Old Way is obvious and predictable, the filmmakers deliver the familiar material effectively.

Thanks to acclaimed, ambitious movies like Pig , Mandy , Color Out of Space , and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent , Nicolas Cage has experienced a career resurgence in recent years after a long period stuck in disposable low-budget direct-to-video productions. Even as he finds new opportunities in higher-profile movies, though, Cage remains one of Hollywood's most prolific actors, ready to take on pretty much any role he's offered, so he's not likely to leave those B-movies behind entirely. Cage starts 2023 with a movie that looks a lot like his 2010s work, the generic Western revenge thriller The Old Way .

Generic doesn't necessarily mean bad, though, and even if nearly everything about The Old Way is obvious and predictable, director Brett Donowho still delivers the familiar material effectively. The screenplay by Carl W. Lucas is solidly constructed, the kind of story that could have been imported from a Gary Cooper or John Wayne movie from 70 years ago, minus some blood and some swearing. Donowho puts together a solid cast, and as always, Cage gives his full effort even with material that he could probably coast through.

RELATED: Is Nicolas Cage’s Benjamin Franklin Gates in National Treasure: Edge of History?

Cage plays Colton Briggs, a former gunfighter who's given up his violent ways thanks to the love of a good woman. A prologue featuring Cage in a ridiculous bushy fake mustache shows the younger Colton gunning down a man right in front of his own son, setting up the revenge plot to come. 20 years later, Colton has settled down with his wife Ruth (Kerry Knuppe) and has a 12-year-old daughter named Brooke ( Firestarter 's Ryan Kiera Armstrong). He runs a general store and lives a quiet life until a gang led by the sadistic James McCallister (Noah Le Gros) shows up looking for him.

McCallister and his gang kill Ruth and leave Colton a message written in blood on the wall of his barn, daring him to come after them. Over the objections of Marshal Jarret (Nick Searcy), who's in charge of apprehending McCallister and his men, Colton sets out for revenge, bringing Brooke along with him. The dynamic between Cage and Armstrong is the heart of The Old Way , and Brooke isn't a typical precocious kid character who gets a taciturn adult to loosen up. Brooke is more like her father than he initially realizes, sharing his emotional reserve and killer instinct.

RELATED: Nicolas Cage Grew Up Believing He Was an Alien From Another Planet

Armstrong holds her own in every scene with Cage, even matching his oddball delivery at times, giving the characters a believable father-daughter connection. Brooke proves to be a quick study as her father's protégé, and Donowho cleverly illustrates her burgeoning marksmanship skills by cutting directly from her request for pistol lessons to a shot of her wearing the hat she was using as a target, now with two bullet holes in it.

Cage's best moment in The Old Way is a speech that Colton gives to Brooke about how he always felt different, even as a kid, never crying, laughing, or experiencing fear. Cage has one slightly manic outburst, but otherwise, his performance in The Old Way is stoic and subdued. It's surprising that he's never made a Western before, given how well he fits into the genre.

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Le Gros sneers and rages as McCallister, but he makes for a somewhat underwhelming villain, and the opening flashback doesn't offer enough information to judge whether McCallister's quest for revenge is justified. Once he kills an innocent woman, which doesn't end up mattering, and he's mostly a means to an end, anyway. Abraham Benrubi, Shiloh Fernandez , and a prodigiously bearded Clint Howard play the other members of McCallister's gang, giving them a bit of personality beyond their functions as henchmen.

Shot in Montana, The Old Way doesn't quite have the majestic, sweeping look of a classic Western, although Donowho captures a few images of sun-dappled beauty. Donowho's visual style is basic and functional, and when it comes to the final confrontation between Colton and McCallister, he delivers solid, simple action sequences. Donowho's filmography includes multiple low-budget horror movies and one Bruce Willis "geezer teaser" action movie, so The Old Way counts as a step up for him. Cage has always been more present and engaged than other established stars cast in independent thrillers for name recognition, and even when The Old Way spends time with other characters, it's clearly always a Nicolas Cage movie.

Cage fans may be a bit let down at the lack of the signature freakouts the actor is known for, and anyone excited by the recent Cage revitalization may wonder what all the fuss was about. Viewers with the right expectations, especially aficionados of meat-and-potatoes Westerns, should be satisfied with The Old Way , though, and it bodes well for Cage's next Western, Butcher's Crossing , coming later in 2023. Compared to the likes of Pig or Mandy , The Old Way is a letdown, but among Cage's B-movie oeuvre, it's a gem.

The Old Way opens Friday, Jan. 6 in select theaters and premieres Jan. 13 on VOD.

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The old way, common sense media reviewers.

Simple but effective revenge Western has violence, swearing.

The Old Way Movie Poster: Nicolas Cage in a cowboy hat

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

More or less demonstrates futility of revenge, but

Only the marshal is interested in right vs. wrong,

Brooke, who's 12, is a smart, bold girl, but -- as

Guns and shooting, with characters shot and killed

Married couple kiss. Some characters are implied t

Language includes "s--t" (some instances by a 12-y

Villain drinks several shots of whiskey and begins

Positive Messages

More or less demonstrates futility of revenge, but ends on a down note that suggests cycle of violence will continue.

Positive Role Models

Only the marshal is interested in right vs. wrong, but he's a rather ineffective character. It's a small role, and he's often caught unaware or taken hostage, etc. In story's first half, Brooke tries to find solutions to problems other than violence, but by the end, she has embraced violence.

Diverse Representations

Brooke, who's 12, is a smart, bold girl, but -- aside from her mother, who's killed early on, and some sex workers -- the rest of the cast are White men. Part of villains' plan is to head to Mexico to hide out, where the leader is said to have "a little Mexican girl."

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Guns and shooting, with characters shot and killed. Blood spurts. Bloody wound. Young girl threatened and in peril/distress. Woman pistol-whipped in the face, arm broken, murdered (the latter takes place off-screen). Young girl shoots guns. Bloody crime scene. Horses shot and killed, whinnying in pain. Person shot in head. Digging bullet out of character's shoulder, cauterizing wound with hot metal. Character stabbed in back, neck sliced. Person with noose around neck. Buildings set on fire. Character punched in face, with bloody lip. Breaking finger. Man kicked in the crotch. Character steps on another's broken leg, causing pain.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Married couple kiss. Some characters are implied to be sex workers.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language includes "s--t" (some instances by a 12-year-old), "ass," "son of a bitch," "goddamn," "hell," "a--hole," "dumbass," "bastard," "balls," "piss," "pecker," "damn," "hell," "turkey bungholes."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Villain drinks several shots of whiskey and begins to (slightly) slur his words. Main character drinks heavily from flask in one scene. Secondary character drinks from flask.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Old Way is a Western starring Nicolas Cage as a former killer who takes his 12-year-old daughter on a revenge mission. It's full of colorful characters and playful dialogue but has plenty of mature content. Violence includes guns and shootings (some fatal), blood spurts and bloody wounds, a woman being pistol-whipped in the face and having her arm broken, and a young girl who's threatened and in peril. The same girl shoots guns, and a bullet is removed (and the wound cauterized). Other scenes show horses being shot and killed, knives, fire, and additional broken bones. Strong language includes several uses of "s--t," "ass," "son of a bitch," "goddamn," "hell," and more. A married couple kiss, and some characters are implied to be sex workers. Characters drink from flasks and do shots of whiskey in a bar. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

Parents say (1)

Based on 1 parent review

Unoriginal and bad Western movie contains violence and swearing with a bad storyline.

What's the story.

In THE OLD WAY, young Colton Briggs ( Nicolas Cage ) is a stone-cold killer who shoots several people without even blinking. Twenty years later, as the Old West fades away into a New Republic, he's reformed. He's happily married to Ruth (Kerry Knuppe) and has a whip-smart 12-year-old daughter, Brooke ( Ryan Kiera Armstrong ). Unfortunately, dangerous criminal James McCallister ( Noah Le Gros ) has just broken out of prison and has a longstanding vendetta against Briggs. McCallister assembles a crew that includes Big Mike ( Abraham Benrubi ), Boots ( Shiloh Fernandez ), and Eustice ( Clint Howard ) and launches a terrible plan. Despite the warnings of Marshal Jarret ( Nick Searcy ), Briggs takes Brooke on a revenge mission. But are they walking into a trap?

Is It Any Good?

This simple Western ultimately doesn't have terribly much to say, but Cage's hard-as-an-anvil performance, his chemistry with young Armstrong, and some playful dialogue make it worth a look. The Old Way starts out very well, with director Brett Donowho giving writer Carl W. Lucas' words just the right pacing, especially in the terse way that Briggs and Brooke speak to each other, he with gruff, stoic commands and she with cold logic (she's like a Wild West Wednesday Addams). The villains are a colorful bunch, too, with the silver-tongued McCallister as the leader, lumbering Big Mike, loose-cannon Boots, and cranky old-timer Eustice (played by cult fave Howard). The dialogue promises a real treat when the chase is over and the showdown begins -- "you boys have woke up the devil," the villains are warned -- but unfortunately, The Old Way just kind of ... ends. It half-heartedly shrugs at ideas of revenge being ill-fated and of certain qualities being passed on from generation to generation, but it doesn't really do anything with these notions.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about The Old Way 's violence . How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

How would you describe the relationship between 12-year-old Brooke and violence ? Does she seem repelled by or attracted to it? Is it just a matter-of-fact thing? Does she face consequences ?

What is the nature of revenge? Can it be good? Bad? Both? How?

What makes the Western genre appealing? What can stories of the Old West tell us about who we are today?

Characters drink casually throughout the movie, both from flasks and in bars. Does drinking seem glamorized? Are any consequences shown? Why does that matter?

Movie Details

In theaters : January 6, 2023
On DVD or streaming : January 13, 2023
Cast : Nicolas Cage , Ryan Kiera Amrstrong , Noah Le Gros
Director : Brett Donowho
Studios : Saban Films , Lionsgate
Genre : Western
Run time : 95 minutes
MPAA rating : R
MPAA explanation : violence
Last updated : March 4, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

‘The Old Way’ movie review: Nicolas Cage hunts his wife’s killers in revenge western

January 16, 2023
★★½ , Movie Reviews

A gunslinger with a troubled past hunts the men who killed his wife, with young daughter riding shotgun, in The Old Way , an agreeably old-fashioned western starring Nicolas Cage now available for rent or purchase on streaming services worldwide.

The Old Way gets a significant boost thanks to an effectively subdued performance form Cage as the old gunslinger drawn back into violence, and particularly Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the determined daughter who demands to take part in his vengeance. Their growing relationship is richly detailed, and recalls similar work in the Tom Hanks western News of the World .

An unfortunately misplaced opening prologue, meanwhile, sets a wobbly tone: Cage’s Colton Briggs, sporting a ridiculous 70s porn stache, mercilessly kills a convict in front of his young son a la Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in the West . Meet The Old Way ’s stoic hero.

Twenty years later, Cage has settled down with a wife Ruth ( Kerry Knuppe ) and daughter Brooke (Armstrong), leaving his violent past behind in order to run a small town general store. But his past catches up to him when the boy from the opening scene, now a ruthless outlaw, happens to stumble upon Briggs’ home when his wife is alone… and enacts some incidental revenge during his run from the law.

We know where The Old Way is headed from this point, and there are few surprises along the way as Colton and his daughter follow in the footsteps of the law (represented by Nick Searcy ‘s Marshal Jarrett) to track down the villainous outlaw and his gang.

But The Old Way ’s villain, James McCallister ( Noah Le Gros ), lacks the hard edge that would make this journey truly satisfying. The opening prologue humanizes his character, and Le Gros plays things big and broad, never really earning our resentment.

It doesn’t help that his crew is even less intimidating. Gentle giant Big Mike ( Abraham Benrubi ) and old codger Eustice ( Clint Howard ) are largely played for laughs, and only slick sharpshooter Boots ( Shiloh Fernandez , who should have been cast as the lead villain) offers any kind of real menace.

Directed by Brett Donowho (2018’s Bruce Willis thriller Acts of Violence ) from a screenplay by Carl W. Lucas , The Old Way is neither captivating cinema nor something bad enough to derive some ironic enjoyment from; to his credit, Cage has done a better job of choosing his projects in recent years.

Instead, The Old Way really is the kind of western they just don’t make anymore. Thanks to its committed central performances – especially from Armstrong as the daughter – and often gorgeous cinematography under the mountains of Montana and at the Yellowstone Film Ranch, The Old Way is likely to satisfy undemanding viewers that might be interested in this kind of thing.

The Old Way is the first of two Cage westerns to debut in 2023, with Butcher’s Crossing set to release in March. They represent the first two westerns in Cage’s impressive list of acting credits, but in The Old Way , at least, the actor feels as at home on the range as Randolph Scott.

According to The Wrap , Cage walked off the set of The Old Way after an incident involving weapons being fired, allegedly shouting “make an announcement, you just blew my fucking eardrums out!” at armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. Gutierrez-Reed would later be the armorer on Rust , the production that resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after an accidental firearms discharge.

The Old Way

2023 , Abraham Benrubi , Adam Lazarre-White , Beau Linnell , Boyd Kestner , Brett Donowho , Carl W. Lucas , Clint Howard , Corby Griesenbeck , Craig Branham , Dean Armstrong , Jeff Medley , Joe Pepper , Katelyn Bauer , Kerry Knuppe , Nick Searcy , Nicolas Cage , Noah Le Gros , Ryan Kiera Armstrong , Shiloh Fernandez , Skyler Stone , The Old Way

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The Old Way Movie Review: Nicolas Cage Western is Generic and Lazy

The Old Way is Directed by Brett Donowho and Stars Nicolas Cage and Ryan Kiera Armstrong

Review: The Old Way rarely goes above genre conventions and expectations. As many of Nicolas Cage’s recent movies go, it seems The Old Way was made only to satisfy his request to play the role of a weathered cowboy. A real dud.

It’s been a year of new possibilities for Nicolas Cage as he’s finally gotten opportunities in roles he’s previously never attempted. After years of rumors spreading that he’d be donning the cape as Dracula, he finally rose to the occasion in Renfield a few months ago – even if that movie didn’t really rise to the occasion itself as it never fully worked beyond the premise of starring Nicolas Cage. Now, he’s turning his sights towards the Western genre in The Old Way and hoping to pull off the role of a weathered, once infamous cowboy looking to exact revenge on those that have wronged him.

At this point, I don’t go into Nicolas Cage movies expecting much beyond hoping that Cage at least offers something fun and engaging. After all, he hasn’t had the best stretch of movies lately with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and Willy’s Wonderland being largely forgettable and mediocre at best ( Pig broke up the string of weak releases, although that seems more like an outlier rather than the regular quality level at this point). He sits in a weird sphere of still being able to get movies funded just by name recognition and branding – a skill that newer leading actors and actresses are struggling to gain in recent memory – but so few of them have lasting power beyond a few weeks or months.

Which is why I went in hoping that The Old Way would occasionally offer some new ideas or interest points for Cage, even if I felt that that was a longshot. After all, this movie had an unremarkable and rather quick run in theaters early this year before dropping on Hulu with a thud only a couple months later, a turnaround that even by modern standards feels incredibly short.

The movie loosely follows a narrative of Cage’s Colton Briggs seeking revenge on a character that’s killed has wife – while that character is also seeking revenge on Briggs for killing his father years before the core events of The Old Way (convoluted – I know, but also quite dumb). Briggs and his daughter Brooke (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) traverse the terrain and meet a handful of unimportant and unimaginative characters along the way.

It’s ironic that this movie hit Hulu relatively in line with the current writer’s strike beginning because – and I know this isn’t true (or at least I sure hope not) – this feels like it was written by an A.I. platform. It’s not difficult to imagine much of The Old Way being a product of a system in charge of melting together a dozen different, and much better, Westerns from years past. It incorporates all of the iconography and sets and shots you’d expect from a film in this genre, but it rarely builds upon them in any meaningful way.

I get that it might be trying to navigate a difficult terrain of modern Westerns that are much grittier, darker, and trying to comment on the current state of the genre at large, but The Old Way sways way too far the other way. It’s so campy and unsure of itself that it’s hard to ever take the movie seriously. Even Nicolas Cage didn’t seem up to the task with this one, as if he’s just there to say he’s done a Western and collect his paycheck.

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And it’s not an ideal proposition to make a Western opposite of the characteristics that I mentioned previously considering the fact that those Westerns make up some of the best of the genre this century – and occasionally some of the best movies period. Perhaps the best pitch isn’t to say that you want to make a movie opposite of No Country for Old Men , There Will Be Blood , and The Power of the Dog . Hell, even The Harder They Fall (which isn’t perfect and still has issues of its own) contains more lively characters and action that build towards a satisfying conclusion.

The Old Way feels more like its running through the motions and attempting to hit on every plot beat you’d expect from a film like this; the revelation of a concealed past, groveling with masculinity in a rather stale and inauthentic way, a shootout at the end that has to try to evolve and differentiate from the classic perception of one. All these points are here, but none of them are slightly interesting or feel like they’re contributing to this new sense of the Western genre.

It’s clear by the time the credits role that The Old Way just serves as a chance for Nicolas Cage to bolster his own IMDb page, but even he seems like he’s skating by. Between this and Renfield , his 2023 slate hasn’t been great and focusing on just one of these projects could’ve resulted in one decent movie, maybe . Instead, we got a lackluster turn at him playing a weathered cowboy and another at him playing Dracula. Which one is worse? I’m not sure, because they’re not far apart in quality and neither are movies that I plan on returning to in the future.

Genre: Western

Where to stream The Old Way: Hulu, VOD

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The Old Way Movie Cast and Credits

Nicolas Cage as Colton Briggs

Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Brooke Briggs

Noah Le Gros as James McCallister

Clint Howard as Eustice

Shiloh Fernandez as Boots

Director: Brett Donowho

Writer: Carl W. Lucas

Cinematography: Sion Michel

Editor: Frederick Wardell

Composer: Andrew Morgan Smith

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“so freaking ambitious”: cult classic sci-fi movie gets glowing review from vfx artists 27 years later.

The cult-classic sci-fi film Starship Trooper gets a universally glowing review from VFX artist team the Corridor Crew years after its release.

Starship Troopers ' visual effects hold up well 27 years later, impressing the Corridor Crew.
The gasoline explosion and CG work in the film were revolutionary for its time in the '90s.
Despite being a box office flop, Starship Troopers has become a sci-fi cult classic over the years.

Starship Troopers gets a glowing review from visual effects artists years after its release. Starship Troopers is a 1997 sci-fi satire about a group of humans in a fascist future who are at war with giant alien bugs. The film features a leading cast of Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, and Jake Busey, and is directed by Paul Verhoeven.

Now, the Corridor Crew gives their evaluations of Starship Troopers 27 years after its release .

The team were floored by the effects in Starship Troopers , especially given its ‘90s release. They were impressed by “ the texture detail on the models ” as well as “ the CG .” The team also spent time discussing the gasoline explosion in the napalm strike, which they say was the biggest on-screen gasoline explosion in film history up until Spectre in 2015. Check out some of the quotes from the Corridor Crew below:

“The texture detail on the models is awesome. The CG is great.” “That digital double, that looks better than Legolas” “Well, only in that one shot, to be fair.” [....] “The napalm strike in Starship Troopers was the biggest gasoline explosion in film up to that point [that the Corridor Crew was filming a commercial]. Until Spectre happened.” “I love the layers of like the white gas and the brown dirt as it comes towards camera. And the thing about like shots like that where it’s perspective based, to have that far part work, you need to use so much material, whether it’s gas or explosives, you need to have so much just to fill the frame in the distance. And then once it gets close you can have smaller explosions, but that requires so much gasoline to do that.” “This movie’s sweet, this movie’s rad.” [....] “How did they do this? 96 for crowd sim stuff?!” “It’s probably just by hand” “But how did they handle that much data in a scene?” "This movie is so freaking ambitious."

The Impact of Starship Troopers Explained

Starship Troopers was a notorious box office flop in its time. The production budgeted an estimated $105 million to create special effects of that scale upon its release in 1997. The film raked in $54.8 million, losing millions at the time of release. However, this has not stopped Starship Troopers from becoming a sci-fi cult classic in the decades since its release.

Starship Troopers' Secret Meaning Explained: What It Was Really About

As per the Corridor Crew’s analysis, it has become a classic for good reason. Not only does Starship Troopers hold up today, but it is notable in that it has become an influential piece of media. One example is referenced in the VFX team’s clip: Helldivers 2 . Helldivers 2 is a 2024 cooperative third-person shooter video game focused on an intergalactic war. The thematic overlaps between the two pieces of content are clear, but the fact that Helldivers 2 takes visual inspiration from Starship Troopers years later is even more impressive.

The gasoline explosion is a particularly impressive feat in Starship Troopers . The film managed to maintain its record as the largest explosion for nearly 20 years. Even though Starship Troopers is 27 years old, the film has aged incredibly well.

Starship Troopers is available to stream on MGM+ and Fubo.

Source: Corridor Crew /YouTube

Starship Troopers

Considered a cult classic film, Starship Trooper is set in the not-too-distant future when humanity is at war with an alien race called the Arachnids. The film follows Johnny Rico, a teenager recruited into the military and the war against the Arachnids. Casper Van Dien stars as Johnny Rico, with a further cast that includes Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Jake Busey, and Neil Patrick Harris.

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The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.

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Review: An upbeat Oscars, on the edge of good taste and not entirely divorced from reality

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The Oscars, edition 96, hosted for the fourth time by Jimmy Kimmel, were broadcast over ABC on Sunday evening from the branded Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard right next door to Grauman’s Chinese. (I refuse to call it the TCL Chinese Theatre, whatever TCL means.)

Coming out of the strike year, it feels appropriate to remember that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was originally devised by film producers to stave off unionization: The Oscars, some historians theorize, were invented to make actors and directors and such feel special and distinct from the industry’s working classes. Give filmmakers “cups and awards,” Louis B. Mayer is supposed to have said, and “they’d kill themselves to produce what I wanted.”

Hollywood, CA - March 10: (L-R) Mary Steenburgen, Lupita Nyong'O, Jamie Lee Curtis, Rita Moreno and Regina King during the live telecast of the 96th Annual Academy Awards in Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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Still, all conflicts are put aside for that very special day, this Hollywood Christmas, when the academy hands out its major trophies. As uninterested as I am in who wins or loses these things, I can see how this relatively meaningless contest offers some distraction from a world burning with actual conflicts that will affect the fate of humans and the Earth they live on for generations to come.

And yet, there is some expectation that picture people, being a creative, sensitive and therefore liberal community, might have something to say about such perilous times, on a stage before some yet-to-be-counted number of viewers. And that films, which sometimes intersect with current real-world issues, might elicit some commentary from winners, when they win. More on that below.

Emma Stone speaks into a microphone holding an oscar

Emma Stone wins best actress Oscar, ending Lily Gladstone’s historic run

Emma Stone’s win for ‘Poor Things,’ her second in the category, came in a tight race with Gladstone, who would have been the first Native American to win the Oscar for best actress.

March 10, 2024

Anyway, the Oscars. They came on an hour earlier this year, ironic given that daylight saving afforded an extra hour of sunlight, and five minutes late, because of protestors calling for a cease-fire in Gaza slowing down the arrivals . You can delay the broadcast, but you can’t stop the world.

Kimmel, who has inherited from Billy Crystal, Bob Hope and Johnny Carson the mantle of go-to Oscars host, is a reliable, relatable presence liable to stir no controversy in a venue that has a low tolerance for controversy. At the same time he’s sharp enough not to be boring. Like many people who tell jokes for a living, he has said or done regrettable things from time to time, but he’s also good at expressing regret. Above all, he’s a creature of show business, unembarrassed to be there and not out to prove any sort of moral or professional superiority to the actors he might joke about in an opening monologue . Almost his first words after a brief introductory filmed bit that played off a “Barbie” clip (Margot Robbie: “You’re so beautiful.” Kimmel: “I know, I was just thinking that. I haven’t eaten in three weeks. I’m so hungry.”) were “Look at these beautiful human actors.”

Though some jokes were on the edge of challenging good taste, most were not much edgier than what you used to find on a Dean Martin roast. Of Robert De Niro: “In 1976, Jodie Foster was young enough to be Robert De Niro’s daughter, now she’s 20 years too old to be his girlfriend.” (Foster could be seen nodding in rueful agreement.) And to Robert Downey Jr.: “Is that an acceptance speech in your pocket or do you just have a very rectangular penis?” And of Messi, the dog from “Anatomy of a Fall” (who had a seat), “I haven’t seen a French actor eat vomit like that since Gérard Depardieu.” And describing Emma Stone’s “Poor Things” character: “An adult woman with the brain of a child, like the lady who gave the rebuttal to the State of the Union ” — a little political, but nothing you wouldn’t hear on any late-night show.

It was a room of people determined to have a good time; the standing ovations began with one for Kimmel himself (or, to be precise, as Kimmel said, “that partial standing ovation”) and followed with fair frequency throughout the night. The crowd was loud in the mix, as if to give the impression — seemingly accurate — that it was thrilled by absolutely everything that occurred and that a show so rapturously received couldn’t possibly be boring, even if, as a contest, the awards promised (and proved) to be largely predictable: “Oppenheimer,” “Oppenheimer,” “Poor Things,” “Oppenheimer.”

Hollywood, CA - March 10: Ryan Gosling during the live telecast of the 96th Annual Academy Awards in Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Ryan Gosling, Slash and 65 Kens lead Oscars audience in ‘I’m Just Ken’ singalong

The Oscar-nominated actor led an ensemble of 65 dancers in the live rendition of the ‘Barbie’ musical number, with Mark Ronson and Simu Liu in tow.

Indeed, it was a pretty rowdy, raucous Oscars, as Oscars go: a (mostly) naked John Cena presenting the award for costume design; Ryan Gosling, accompanied by Slash, as a Busby Berkeley rock star performing the nominated “I’m Just Ken”; the Osage Tribal Singers (and drummers and dancers) performing “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People).” Presenter John Mulaney offered a run-on-sentence synopsis of “Field of Dreams,” a movie I no longer need to see. Supporting actor winner Downey Jr., who appears to have given himself the job of keeping awards shows old-school frisky, took to the stage with arms raised, thanking “my terrible childhood and the academy, in that order.” It was a long night, as it always is, but not the slog it often is. The scripted banter was better than usual, and when it failed, personality took up the slack.

If no protesters burst through the doors of the Dolby Theatre, the political world nevertheless made its way in. In reference to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes , Kimmel said in his monologue,”This very strange town of ours is, at heart, a union town; it’s not just a bunch of heavily Botoxed Hailey Bieber-smoothie-drinking, diabetes prescription-abusing, gluten-sensitive nepo babies with perpetually shivering chihuahuas. This is a coalition of strong, hardworking, mentally tough American laborers, women and men who, 100% for sure, would die if they even had to touch the handle of a shovel.” And he brought out a cast of shovel-handlers, and truck drivers and unidentified behind-the-camera Hollywood workers, promising that his union would have their union’s back when the time came.

Hollywood, CA - March 10: Emma Thomas during the live telecast of the 96th Annual Academy Awards in Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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“Oppenheimer” won several top awards, including best picture, director and lead actor, while lead actress went to Emma Stone for “Poor Things.” Billie Eilish won best song after Ryan Gosling performed “I’m Just Ken.”

Director Jonathan Glazer , whose “The Zone of Interest,” about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, took the Oscar for international film, declared the point of the film was “not to say ‘Look what they did then,’ rather what we do now. Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It’s shaped all of our past and present. Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization — how do we resist?”

Director Mstyslav Chernov, honored for his documentary “20 Days in Mariupol,” thanked the academy for “the first Oscar in Ukrainian history,” then added, “probably I will be the first director on this stage who will say I wish I had never made this film. I wish to be able to exchange this for Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities… But I cannot change the history. I cannot change the past.... We can make sure that the history record is set straight and that the truth will prevail and that the people of Mariupol and those who have given their lives will never be forgotten — because cinema forms memories, and memories form history.”

Hollywood, CA - March 10: Ben Proudfoot (C), Porche Brinker (L) and Kris Bowers during the live telecast of the 96th Annual Academy Awards in Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

L.A. Times wins first Oscar for ‘The Last Repair Shop,’ about LAUSD music program

Directed by Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers and co-distributed by L.A. Times Studios and Searchlight, the film took home the documentary short award on Sunday.

Among the evening’s other good moments: The delighted and delightful “Godzilla Minus One” special effects team coming onstage with their little Godzilla models. Sean Ono Lennon leading the audience in a “Happy Mother’s Day” to Yoko. (It’s U.K. Mother’s Day.) “American Fiction” writer-director Cord Jefferson, who won for adapted screenplay, suggesting to the money people, “Instead of making one $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies.”

Less good: The awards to actors revived a mawkish conceit in which each nominee is personally addressed by a former winner, and told how great they are, with the two facing each other on a split screen. Still, it’s conceivable that the involved parties are not embarrassed by this; they live in a different world. The in memoriam sequence was, as is most often the case, marred by the extraneous performance — string players, interpretive dancers, the white-jacketed Oscars orchestra — that got in its way. Just show the people, please.

But the L.A. Times Studios won an Oscar (with Searchlight Pictures) for short documentary for “The Last Repair Shop.” So obviously, whatever else, these were the best Academy Awards ever.

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HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 12: Jimmy Kimmel delivers his opening monologue at the 95th Academy Awards in the Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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‘Road House’ Review: Jake Gyllenhaal Takes Command in an Ultraviolent Retread That Makes Slumming Look Artful

Doug Liman stages it like a Jason Statham movie directed by Jonathan Demme, at once brutally vicious and teasingly humane.

By Owen Gleiberman

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“ Road House ” is an infectiously stylish piece of slumming. It’s a remake of the 1989 Patrick Swayze cheeseball action cult film, and it’s staged with a verve and wit and dynamic grittiness that make the original film look even more rickety than it once did. Doug Liman, the director of the new “Road House,” has always been a gifted maverick, but I still like his earliest films (“Go,” “Swingers”) the best. For years now, he has worked hard to make interesting and responsible dramas, but watching “Road House” you can taste how good it must have felt for him to be irresponsible — to give in to his savage B-movie id.

The original “Road House” was nominated for five Golden Rasberry Awards, and it probably deserved most of them, yet it was a modest hit, and it’s a potboiler that’s fondly remembered, because it’s the kind of trash you can relax into. It’s like a Chuck Norris film with a real actor at its center. As Dalton, not a bouncer but a “cooler” (i.e., the coolest level of super-bouncer), who is hired to clean up a hooligan dive bar in Jasper, Missouri, Swayze sizes up every adversary with an utter lack of fear — he’s all Zen blue eyes and cheekbones and “I wouldn’t bother to fight you” lethal calm. He’s like the Western gunfighter reborn as a Buddhist shitkicker.

So why remake this late-’80s piece of nostalgia-inducing junk? Because in a world where some consider the “John Wick” movies to be high art, slumming has become its own form of hipsterism. Liman, who showed up tonight (in a cowboy hat) for the film’s SXSW premiere, has reacted with howls of betrayal over the fact that his film, backed by Amazon Studios, is not going to be playing in movie theaters. Without getting into the weeds of who promised what deal to whom , I think Liman is dead right about one thing: If it were to play in theaters, “Road House” could be a decisive hit. (I bet it would gross $50 million or more.) If the first “Road House” was a better Chuck Norris movie, the new one is something more uncanny — it’s like a Jason Statham movie directed by Jonathan Demme.

Demme, the most humane of filmmakers, had a classical and nearly invisible technique. He knew exactly how long to hold a shot, how to structure a movie with fluid ingenuity. Yet what defined him was how he treated everyone onscreen as a genuine person. Liman, in “Road House,” approaches the debased spectacle of sadism and revenge in a comparable way. He milks it for the satisfaction you want from a film like this one — the joy of watching bad guys get what’s coming to them. Yet he never makes it look too easy. He lets the action unfold against a bevy of bar bands doing their thing, and damned if the music doesn’t work in a Demme-like fashion (the way it did in, say, “Something Wild”). There’s something cathartic about how “Road House” serves up bone-crunching vengeance with an island party-tavern beat.

Gyllenhaal’s hero, who is still named Dalton (now he’s Elwood Dalton), is introduced entering the gladiatorial ring of a sordid underground-circuit ultimate fighting competition, where all he has to do is remove his hoodie and shirt and reveal who he is; that’s enough for his opponent to give in. What the audience sees is a set of abs so awesome they appear etched, as well as the Gyllenhaal ‘tude. He makes Dalton that rare thing, a pensive and considered badass. When he first confronts the goons who have shown up to cause trouble, he asks them if there’s a hospital nearby (this is his funny form of warning). After kicking the crap out of them in the parking lot, he drives them to the hospital.

Gyllenhaal makes Dalton sincere yet sarcastic, and his punches are so fast they practically stop time. (He also takes one man’s pathetic fist in the face as if a baby were punching him.) And though he’s basically a sweetheart, just like the Swayze character was, he’s got more torment, and more anger, bubbling underneath. Gyllenhaal, with his perfect coif and his stoic smirk, is like Anthony Perkins stripped of self-doubt. He plays Dalton as almost ironically recessive, but you wouldn’t want to get in his way.

The plot is simplicity itself, but each of the villains has his own maniacal flavor. Brandt, scoundrel that he is, actually believes that he’s a virtuous architect of the community; that’s his evil folly. And once Dalton puts Dell (JD Pardo), ringleader of the local motorcycle gang, out of business with the help of the crocodile who lives under the houseboat he’s crashing in, Brandt’s powerful father calls in a brute-force fixer: Knox, played by the Irish mixed-martial-arts fighter Conor McGregor in a stunning movie debut. Thick-bearded and bulky-chested, with gleaming white teeth, he makes Knox move around like a gorilla on pep pills, and the exuberance of his homicidal fury could be out of a “Mad Max” film.

This is an adversary worthy of Dalton — his equal, except for the fact that he’s on the side of wrong. But as the film builds toward their ultimate showdown, getting very vehicular in the process (Liman turns the crashing confrontations of trucks and boats into a kind of nihilistic action ballet), you feel the low-down momentousness. This is not a war that’s going to be won by punching. Only stabbing — a great deal of it — will do.

I don’t want to overpraise “Road House.” It’s a movie, like the first film, that’s been assembled out of standard components. Yet that’s part of its scuzzy pleasure — that it has no pretense about itself, except for the intensity with which Liman stages it, turning the fight scenes into rollicking spontaneous smashfests. Daniela Melchior, who takes the Kelly Lynch role (the local physician who falls for Dalton), amps up the tough-nut romanticism. But it’s Gyllenhaal’s movie. He has always exuded a warm and almost ethereal decency on screen, yet he has had difficulty finding the perfect vehicle for it. Who would have thought that the ultimate expression of Jake Gyllenhaal’s heart would be his ability to punch this hard?

Reviewed at SXSW (Headliner), March 8, 2024. MPA Rating: R. Running time: 114 MIN.

Production: An Amazon Prime Video release of a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Silver Pictures production. Producer: Joel Silver. Executive producers: JJ Hook, Alison Winter, Aaron Auch, Audie Attar.
Crew: Director: Doug Liman. Screenplay: Anthony Bagarozzi, Charles Mondry. Camera: Henry Braham. Editor: Doc Crotzer. Music: Christophe Beck.
With: Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Joaquim de Almeida, Conor McGregor, Lukas Gage, Arturo Castro, B.K. Cannon, Beau Knapp, Darren Barnet.

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‘Road House’ Review: Jake Gyllenhaal Makes a Bid for ’80s Movie Stardom in an Early Contender for 2024’s Silliest Film

Christian zilko.

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Early in Doug Liman’s “Road House” remake , Dalton ( Jake Gyllenhaal ) explains his current employment situation to a young girl he befriends at a roadside bookstore. He tells her that he moved to Glass Key, Florida after accepting a job offer from a stranger whose roadhouse became overrun with rowdy thugs who like to raise obscene amounts of hell, and that he agreed to use his background as a former UFC fighter to clean the place up.

“Sounds like the plot of an old Western,” she tells him, which would be an astute observation about the situation’s ridiculousness if it wasn’t underscored by the equally ridiculous notion that middle schoolers in 2024 are referencing 1960s Western tropes in casual conversations. But that’s just the kind of movie we’re dealing with here.

It’s the kind of film that should go off the rails — and very nearly does at quite a few moments — but is ultimately saved by the fact that there isn’t a rational moment in its entire two-hour running time. The smallest iota of sanity would short-circuit this story like a grain of sand in a microchip, but Liman and screenwriters Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry mercifully spare us from that fate and let us bask in the asininity of a mildly entertaining hangout movie.

Dalton makes quick work of the first few batches of goons who roll through, but it soon becomes clear that they’re just lackeys for a more nefarious operation that wants to take down the bar. The island’s criminal nepo baby Billy (Lukas Gage) is no match for Dalton, but the arrival of his imprisoned father’s lunatic enforcer Knox (McGregor) forces our hero to reach into the darkest depths of his soul and bring out the inner animal that made him a championship fighter.

Gyllenhaal’s star has always shined the brightest when he plays weasels and weirdos who lurk in the shadows, but “Road House” is his most committed attempt at playing a conventional ’80s macho man. Dalton is capable of unspeakable brutality, but he also fires off quippy jokes and uses his extensive knowledge of human anatomy to offer medical advice to anyone he beats up. The actor is predictably excellent at the brooding violence but here lacks the charisma to sell many of his character’s Marvel-style one-liners. While some of his goofier moments help develop Dalton as a well-intentioned gym rat with minimal social skills, others fall victim to the same awkward juxtaposition of masculine activities and Muppet-like vocals that plague so many Patrick Mahomes press conferences.

McGregor, on the other hand, steals every scene he’s in. It’s unclear how much of what he does is actually acting, as he simply plays a rowdy and charismatic Irishman who likes to hit people and show off his ridiculous tattoos. But his first acting role (the end credits cheekily say “Introducing Conor McGregor”) could establish him as his generation’s Arnold Schwarzenegger, an inimitable sports figure whose very existence is unique enough to justify plopping him into countless blockbusters.

“Road House” premiered at SXSW 2024. It will stream exclusively on Prime Video beginning on Thursday, March 21.

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Nicolas Cage. Once a notorious gunslinger in the Montanan Old West, Colton Briggs (Nicolas Cage) has reformed as a shopkeeper and family man. But when his past brutally catches up with him, a ...
The Old Way Review: Donowho's Standard American Western Has Heart & Humor
And as expected, two hearts become one in their fight for the same desired outcome, but the journey there contains moments that can fill even the coldest of hearts with warmth. The Old Way released in theaters January 6. The film is 95 minutes long and rated R for violence. Brett Donowho's western tale follows a typical formula, but there are ...
The Old Way review: Nicolas Cage elevates dusty Western
Nicolas Cage elevates the film. Some surprisingly emotional moments. Standout performance from Ryan Kiera Armstrong. Cons. Predictable, formulaic story. Forgettable villains. A good Western can ...
Nicolas Cage's The Old Way Movie Review
Cage has one slightly manic outburst, but otherwise, his performance in The Old Way is stoic and subdued. It's surprising that he's never made a Western before, given how well he fits into the genre. RELATED: Shudder's Burial Fails to Blend Camp & Drama for a Mediocre Period Piece. Le Gros sneers and rages as McCallister, but he makes for a ...
The Old Way Movie Review
Parents need to know that The Old Way is a Western starring Nicolas Cage as a former killer who takes his 12-year-old daughter on a revenge mission. It's full of colorful characters and playful dialogue but has plenty of mature content. Violence includes guns and shootings (some fatal), blood spurts and bloody wounds, a woman being pistol-whipped in the face and having her arm broken, and a ...
The Old Way Movie Review
The Western genre is always capable of surprises. Last year alone we had Old Henry, the year before The Power of the Dog, and in the preceding decade the likes of Hostiles, The Revenant, Bone Tomahawk, The Salvation and Tarantino's own The Hateful Eight and Django Unchained.Sure, it feels like it's become harder and harder to make a textured, lived-in Western production in the pristine digital ...
'The Old Way' movie review: Nicolas Cage hunts his wife's killers in
The Old Way is the first of two Cage westerns to debut in 2023, with Butcher's Crossing set to release in March.They represent the first two westerns in Cage's impressive list of acting credits, but in The Old Way, at least, the actor feels as at home on the range as Randolph Scott.. According to The Wrap, Cage walked off the set of The Old Way after an incident involving weapons being ...
The Old Way (2023) Review
The Old Way tries to hit the required marks, and does so repeatedly, but can feel a bit one-note after a while. Donowho put most of his emotional focus on the journey that Colton and Brooke embark on, and it's easily the best part of the film. Riddled between the more literal trip to find the goons are scenes in which the father explains what ...
The Old Way
The Old Way is a 2023 American Western film directed by Brett Donowho, from a screenplay by Carl W. Lucas, and starring Nicolas Cage as a retired gunman on a mission to find the outlaws who killed his wife. The film was theatrically released by Saban Films on January 6, 2023, and received mixed reviews by critics. Plot In 1878 ...
'The Old Way' Review
Essentially a knock-off version of True Grit, The Old Way isn't especially overwhelming in terms of plot and direction, but it's eminently watchable all the same, thanks to strong onscreen chemistry between Cage and young co-star Ryan Kiera Armstrong. The film begins with a prologue sequence, in which grizzled gun-for-hire Colton Briggs ...
The Old Way Movie Review: Nicolas Cage Western is Generic and Lazy
The Old Way is Directed by Brett Donowho and Stars Nicolas Cage and Ryan Kiera Armstrong. Review: The Old Way rarely goes above genre conventions and expectations. As many of Nicolas Cage's recent movies go, it seems The Old Way was made only to satisfy his request to play the role of a weathered cowboy. A real dud.
The Old Way (2023)
My review for The Old Way (2023) - Directed by Brett Donowho - Starring Nicolas Cage, Clint Howard, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Noah Le Gros & more!Thanks for watc...
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The Old Way review – Nicolas Cage lifts generic western retread