Viggo Mortensen wrote, directed, and produced this western in which he also stars as Danish immigrant Holger Olsen who falls in love with Franco-Canadian Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps) in 1860’s San Francisco.
This is certainly an ambitious movie as Mortensen presents us with parallel storylines set in three different time periods. As a result, it feels a little disjointed to start with and, throughout, the plotline of Vivienne’s childhood felt a bit unnecessary. Thankfully, not a lot of screen time is given to that, and once I had settled into the story, there was a lot to like. The cast, that also includes Gareth Dillahunt as the town’s corrupt Mr Big and Danny Huston as the dodgy mayor are exemplary and Mortensen also provides a mournful score.
In the end, the story turns out to be a pretty basic one of a man seeking revenge but it is lovingly and handsomely made.
Rating: 7 out of 10