As we come to the inevitable conclusion of Jane Got a Gun, the overriding thought which permeates me brain is "why"? Inherited by Gavin O'Connor (Warrior, Miracle) after the original director Andrea Arnold hightailed it to greener pastures, one wonders what was in this revisionist western storyline to attact all involved. Even 90's trash like Bad Girls had women doing something but this oater still eschews a woman needing a man to get the job done. Westerns from the 50's may've been simplistic but they laid the foundation of what this slight story can't get right. The stunt casting of Star Wars prequel actors Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor & Joel Edgerton ("Hello my name is Owen & this is my hetero-life mate Beru.") can't elevate the superficial tale from the terrain it came from. Skip it!

JANE GOT A GUN is a disappointingly grungy western that goes through the motions without ever engaging the senses. It's another film that's full of flashbacks but unlike in, say, BRIMSTONE, these feel padded and drag the snail's pace down to a crawl. The film has a murky and digital look to it which I didn't care for and indeed it feels quite depressing. Natalie Portman is the erstwhile heroine but she ends up making way for Joel Edgerton's tough gunslinger for most of the film. The film builds and builds to a climax, but when it occurs it takes place in the dark so that you struggle to see what's going on. Altogether this is rather disappointing and certainly not the mini-epic I was hoping for.

This movie feels so unfinished, lacking in plot and character development. Jane's relationship with Donovan feels somewhat forced, and it watches like a cheap cowboy romance. Characters are utterly unlikable, even something that starts with a good motivation lands somewhere else. What I liked, though, were some of the flashbacks; despite intensity of the present time story, the past one was much more interesting. This could've been interesting if it was made like one of those old epic sagas ('Far and Away'), with showing the details rather than just retelling them. Spanning it all in a day concept was an ultimate hit-and-miss. The happy ending was so perfectly made that I could not give this not a single star more. Overall, this movie may keep you entertained for a hour or two, but I would have difficult time recommending it.

Overall, it was a good movie; despite a slow start and the amount of back story that tried to clutter it. For a movie that had an astonishing - and rather disappointing - amount of last-minute changes (Jude Law - and then Bradley Cooper - and Micheal Fassbender both pulled out of the leading male roles; Lynne Ramsay was also supposed to be directing) it is still a good film. The performances are decent, although it's really Edgerton, not Portman, who makes a firm statement; succeeding in overshadowing even Jane's big hat. Ewan McGregor looks out of place, but his acting's not bad. None of the acting is bad; they're solid and professional and Portman and McGregor both try to make their American accents work. They barely manage, but it's nothing worth criticism. The soundtrack is awesome. Equally, the cinematography is decent and shows off enough scenery and dust to ground a Western. The film is a good twist on the genre's stereotypes and clichés. Its feminist undercurrents are addressed and it speaks for the tragedy for women in those times, but for all Jane's firm words, loose gun belt and very big hat, she really is little more than a damsel-in- distress. The fact that she has a child (two, actually) does give another firm twist to what we expect of a Western, and yet all the backstory, etc, that was supposed to serve as a emotional foundation for the mother-and- daughter situation, was forced and uneven. Which brings me to.....Some cons: Until more than about half-way, the film is tedious, slow, and even rather quite boring. The flashbacks seem forced and cut suspense away from the main story/threat. The whole story shuffles, almost aimlessly, without much urgency or real threat since we're left guessing for much of the first half what John Bishop and his boys actually have against Jane and her family. That said, the story seems almost afraid to show its climax ; quite literally, actually, considering that the lighting is painfully poor at the climax. To be honest, the film works best at its action sequences. The quiet moments do little to evoke sympathy and instead are rather boring. I enjoyed it. Its climax was satisfying, however slow the start might have been, and it's a decent film :)