The Sisters Brothers is a unique Western that showcases the power of brotherly love and the futility of the American dream. The film features outstanding performances from the entire cast, including Riz Ahmed and Jake Gyllenhaal, whose characters represent positive masculinity. John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix bring depth to their respective characters, and their brotherly connection is one of the highlights of the film.
Set during the decade before the Civil War, the story follows the Sisters Brothers, a duo of gunslinging assassins, as they track down a gold prospector and his unexpected ally in 1850s Oregon. Unlike most movies about bounty hunters, The Sisters Brothers shows the inherent unsustainability of leveraging one’s lethal skills for profit. The brothers’ latest assignment is to track down the illustrious inventor Hermann Warm, who is traveling to California to take part in the Gold Rush.
A Still From The Sisters Brothers (Via IMDB)
While stylistically the film is indebted to many classic Westerns, The Sisters Brothers contradicts traditional Western archetypes with its positive depiction of masculinity. The sincere connection and potential romantic undertones between Warm and Morris make their mission more exciting than a traditional “hunt for gold” narrative would ever be.
The film’s pace is slower than many other entries in the genre, but it succeeds in painting a unique portrayal of brotherly love. The connection between Eli and Charlie is gut-wrenching, as despite their frequent arguments, there’s an underlying level of affection between them. Reilly delivers an amazing performance that embodies the loneliness that his profession entails, while Phoenix’s role in the film is one of the most underrated of his entire career.
