John Ford, John Wayne, Sergio Leone...
They define Westerns. From characters to narrative, various movie elements are gradually dyed with the color of the desert and become the soul of Westerns. But Westerns have been on the decline for many years, and the last cowboy in Hollywood, Eastwood, has entered an old age, and has long ended his and the era of Westerns with "Unforgiven".
It's been a long time since audiences saw a fresh Western. Those old-fashioned rules can't stand the polishing and polishing of time, and they have long been eclipsed, unable to arouse the interest of the audience and the attention of movie fans. Finally, a Frenchman changed the status quo and filmed a "Western" that made people's eyes shine. "The Sisters Brothers" has all the elements of a western,
The deserts of California, the riding boots of cowboys, the sturdy wild horses, the pistols drawn without a word, and the conspiracy that may be encountered at any time. "The Sisters Brothers" adds the elements of the Western movie into the film's image elements one by one, and then smashes and reorganizes them one by one, so that you can see the "other side" of the West. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and finally won the Silver Lion.
The biggest feature of "The Sisters Brothers" is undoubtedly the anti-type! John Ford and John Wayne's Westerns, the desert is lonely, the wildness and unyielding are revealed in the desolation, and the hero immediately turns the gun and reverses the current situation. In Leone, the hero will be teased and suffer greater crises, but his inner sense of justice will sparkle, and he will accept the cheers of the people and put on the mantle of God no matter what. Even at Eastwood, the heroes are pulled down from the altar, old and weak, weak and decadent, but the road sees injustice, the righteous and dignified side still dominates the whole film, they will be abandoned by the times and forgotten by the people, but they will be engraved into the audience. on the memory.
This time, the French director Jacques Audiard played even more. His western heroes were two despicable killers. No one was waiting for them to rescue them, and there was no city waiting for them to guard, and there was no ideal and value needed. To stick to it, they are only responsible for themselves and their brothers, reach out to desire and money, killing is easy, and silence must be done.
Not only did the hero take on the appearance of a demon, but even the story became "light as a feather", just to hunt down a scientist who escaped, just for that little bounty. The protagonist of the anti-hero, the story of the anti-genre, but after the reorganization and filling of the French Jacques Audiard, becomes tender. Violence is undoubtedly the most important thematic element of Western films. Jacques Audiard can shoot violence with complex layers and different textures, and is good at depicting the struggles of marginal characters in difficult situations.
At the same time, his films have the viewing and entertainment qualities that many author's films do not have. Using highly stylized methods, he shoots stories with both a sense of reality and genre characteristics, and the style is getting stronger and stronger, showing a highly concentrated sense of realism. and allegorical.
The opening of "The Histors" underscores the anti-type determination. As the most important element of violence in Western films, there is no blood splashing, no bullet marks all over the film, the open wilderness, the dark night, the red sky of gunfire, the sound of gunshots across the sky, the two sides are in flames, but you do not Completely see where the person is. The Sisters brothers attacked quickly and outflanked decisively. The sword was about to see blood. The two cleaned up the mess without showing any pity.
The bloody night didn't show any warmth until brother Eli told his brother Charlie to be safe. The first act is very exciting, simple but direct, Eli is the brain of the team, and the younger brother Charlie is greedy and reckless, which lays the groundwork for the later story.
Our protagonist is not a traditional down-and-out cowboy, but a bounty hunter, a brother killer.
They were dispatched by the "General" to hunt down a scientist named Morris, who had a potion that made gold reveal its true face at the bottom of the river.
Hermann followed Morris halfway and kept leaving messages so that Histers could know the exact direction.
Seeing that Morris has become a turtle in a urn, but his fate suddenly reversed.
Hermann defected to Morris in the middle, and the two decided to join forces to set up a company to use Morris's method to mine gold to become rich, and to use the "first pot of gold" to achieve their dreams. The Sisters brothers could not go against the general's will, and chased wildly all the way, and the situation continued in the middle. At this time, the theme of "The Brothers Histors" began to enrich, and the anti-type elements continued to deepen.
We see the other side of the killers, first of all their inner conflict. The older brother Eli hopes to get rid of the murderous career as soon as possible, while the younger brother Charlie knows nothing but murder. Coupled with the tragedy of the two's original family, Eli has always felt guilty for his younger brother. Eli wanted to escape, but couldn't find a way. Then there is the growing external pressure. The general's orders cannot be disobeyed. Throughout their lives, they are the general's pawns. If there is a slight chance, the Sisters brothers will become the target of being hunted down.
The only way for them is to kill them one by one until they hit the general's head with a gun. The pressure from the inside out, tormented the Sisters brothers, as if there was only one way to their fate, kill, or be killed. Before the cruelty of fate, the film also presents the vulnerable side of the killer, which is also the real side of the western world. For example, in the wind meal, the killer would be tortured by a spider and almost died;
For example, when you are drunk, you will not be able to hold the gun and become the meat of others;
The family affection and contradiction between the two brothers is the most powerful narrative conflict in the story, and the two have completely different personalities. Eli is sophisticated and sincere in dealing with emotions, and even prostitutes are moved by his gentleness; while Charlie is reckless and treats everything They are both sloppy, driven by the force of death, advocating instant pleasure, they will fight because of their disagreement, but when the other party is in danger, they will come forward without hesitation.
"The Sisters Brothers" uses multiple scenes to delicately and accurately show the complexity of human nature and the multi-faceted nature of the western world.
The third act is the finishing touch of the film. The film is constantly anti-type and anti-climax. The killer and the hunted can only advance and retreat hand in hand for various reasons. A wonderful relationship has been formed between the four of them, making up for the vacancy in their hearts, distinguishing friendship, and seeing the true feelings.
But those unexpected reversals always appear appropriately, which is shocking and emotional. The most interesting part of "The Brothers of Histors" is undoubtedly the director Jacques Audiard's sense of realism and allegory. The whole story is set against the background of the American Gold Rush era, the golden age of cowboys, but also the era when cowboys are about to be eliminated. In the film, we saw a corner of the western development of the United States from the way the Sisters brothers chased and killed them all the way.
From the perspective of the two brothers, we have seen the migration of civilizations and the development of cities. "Three months ago it was deserted, then there were tents and houses, and now women are talking about the price of flour." The Sisters brothers marched westward, and cities and civilizations continued to upgrade because of the gold rush. When the two brothers came to the city and saw the crowds, they sighed that no one would notice them if they killed someone here.
Especially when they check into a luxury hotel and pull down the toilet, they are excited like a child. That's the charm of civilization, even cold-blooded killers will be excited about it. In a civilization, everyone will be quietly changed. Eli picked up the toothbrush and studied the toothpaste powder;
Charlie put on a suit and quietly enjoyed steak and red wine;
Morris aspires to build a shared "Eden", a brand new home with a communist character; Hermann gets the call of capital, and he wants to build an oligarchic company that can defeat the family. Originally a cowboy-style chase, it was unexpected that Jacques Audiard incorporated such rich thematic connotations. This ability to see the big from the small and the tricky cutting angle give people the pleasure of "another village in the dark."
The final warmth settled, which gave the film some poetry. Dreams and distances can never reach the warmth of home. The injured cowboys pursued and searched all the way, but in the end they found that they had everything they wanted.
Take a quiet hot bath, eat a delicious meal made by mother, sleep on a home bed with memories and temperature, on a sunny afternoon, no danger, no task, no desire, put down your hands The gun, listen to the wind, and sleep peacefully.
Home is the end of life.
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