When watching a film over and over again it's easy to take it for granted. I've seen this one so many times at this point that I might underestimate the beat-by-beat greatness. Kubricks visual style is also just being formed in this one with a couple of hints of his deterministic directorial eye, best shown in a few one point compositions. But thematically this might be Kubrick at his most fascinating and interesting.
And the ending is still the best…
This film is an example of the boring kind of Westerns I don't care for. Too important and too emotional in the wrong places. The ideas in the film are kind of interesting and with a better director like an Anthony Mann or Budd Boetticher I think this one could have been at least fine.
And that kid. I hate kids in cinema and the child in this one might be the worst one yet. Horrible acting is horrible acting no matter who's responsible for it.
Good direction, weak screenplay. Every little characther trait and turn of events in this film are overtly explained and hinted at long before the film arrive at the moments that's suppose to be minor revelations or at least touching. Kooreda almost manage to elevate the weak material in to a good film, but there is to much unnecessary exposition for this thing to be fully engaging. Plus the music is really bad.
