TIFF '18 Film Review - The Sisters Brothers

Eli Sisters (John C. Reilly) the older, calmer, philosopher, while Charlie Sisters (Joaquin Phoenix) is younger, aggressive, violent one of the gun for hire duo. The pair work for the Commodore taking jobs to eliminate enemies or those that have crossed their boss in 1850's West coast America. Their current job is to track down chemist Hermann Kermit Warm (Riz Ahmed) who has perfected a method to illuminate gold on the riverbed floor allowing the prospector to only have to bend down and scoop it up. Detective John Morris (Jake Gyllenhaal) dispatched to keep an eye on the chemist until the brothers arrive has thrown in his lot with Warm severing communications.

French director Jacques Audiard coming off the 2015 Palm d'Or winning effort Dheepan crafts a road movie based on the novel of the same name by Patrick deWitt. The camera follows the brothers as they make their way south through frontier towns constantly outsmarting any opposition until they make it to San Francisco the centre of the gold rush. There they get information on their targets, see indoor plumbing for the first time and are soon upon their prey. They too are seduced by Warms formula helping to pan for gold until the side effects of the formula affect the quartet.

Its the relationship between the brothers that drives the film. Charlie has lofty ambitions to grow their hired gun business eventually with Eli and himself being the ones that give the orders. Eli, on the other hand, has had enough of this life. Always away from home, sleeping by campfires with a saddle bag as a pillow not to mention someone around every corner looking to shoot at him. But when  challenged they bolt into gunfighter mode showing why they are among the best hired guns in the west.

Joaquin Phoenix continues his busy schedule of complex roles as Charlie. Here he is foul-mouthed, angry, merciless and ruthless when not boozing and womanizing in a local saloon.  John C. Reilly Eli is a warrior monk. He's looking to the future what will be his next chapter but when duty calls he is every bit as sharp with his gun as his partner. Riz Ahmed injects a bit of civility into the Wild West setting as Hermann Kermit Warm. He is a scientist and not a shootist preferring to convince through reasoning as opposed to pointing a cocked weapon.

Jacques Audiard's first English language film tackles the classic American genre. Funnier than expected with an early sequence involving an unsuspecting sleeping Eli that is everyone secret fear. The production finds an effective way to show Warms formula in action alongside the brutal reality of its side effects. At the core is family in a film I can recommend.

*** out of 4.

Sisters Brothers | Jacques Audiard | France/Spain/ Romania/ USA| 2018 | 121 Minutes.

Tags: Western, 1850's, Prospecting, Gold, Frontier, San Francisco, Oregon, Spider, Fever, Cat House.