Direction: Potsy Ponciroli
Country: USA
Tim Blake Nelson (O Brother Where Art Though?, 2000; The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, 2018) stars in Old Henry, a gripping western that, combining action and character, stands as the most noticeable work by director Potsy Ponciroli. Probing the genre for the first time in his career, the latter shows efficiency and simplicity in the screenplay and courage in the execution, filling the atmosphere with a slow-building tension that leaves no room for relaxation.
The story takes us to the Oklahoma Territory in the early 1900s, where Henry (Nelson), a widowed farmer with guts, lives with his adolescent son, Wyatt (Gavin Lewis). Their peaceful lives change abruptly when Henry decides to take home a severely injured man (Scott Haze), who had been chased by the inquisitive, ruthless Ketchum (Stephen Dorff) and his partners. The latter claims to be a sheriff, but his intention has nothing to do with law enforcement. The courage and determination shown by Henry make the others see him as a crazy man or a fool. What they don’t know is that this apparently meek farmer has an unmatched talent for shooting and is linked to a tumultuous past of violence.
Crisply told, the tale traditionally leads to a life-and-death shootout, but reserves a bitter twist for the end. Gauging from the acting qualities of Nelson, especially in the above mentioned motion pictures by the Coen brothers, there is little to worry regarding Old Henry. It’s solid entertainment, signaling that westerns are better when made simple.
