Ray Winstone deserves the "Steven Seagal Gold Star Award for mumbling in a low voice". Absolutely awful... did the director tell Winstone to speak unintelligibly, or was he too chicken to tell him to SPEAK UP and SEPAK CLEARLY? Also in this fil, again we have the dull Brad Pitt playing the part of a violent, vicious IRISH thug. The Irish accent is a broad caricature (I'm part Irish, btw). This flick is so bleak, with ao many long, drawn-out scenes. I simply could not finish it, had to eject the DVD. And thank God for subtitles, or I would not have been able to catch more than 10% of what Winstone slurred. NOT RECOMMENDED. 2/10 because there are some worse flims and because John Hurt lifted this crud a little.

While this film is nothing extraordinary, Ms. Emily Watson certainly is and she is absolutely brilliant in what easily could have been a throwaway role. It was a fantastically imaginative casting choice by the director to choose Watson as what he probably wished would be more than the typical "frontier wife." He got much, much more as Emily Watson gives a performance of subtle sexuality, passion, and courage. In doing so, she does what she usually does and makes this film her own. It takes tremendous talent and incredible power for her to step forth from this group of male actors and in beautiful fashion demonstrate her exceptionality as an artist. She breathes life into what could have been a stale stereotype and sets fire to the screen in several stupendous scenes. The only problem is she is underused and the camera spends too little time on her glowing face and blinding cinematic presence. However, what she does with the camera time she is given is miraculous and for that reason this film is a 10. Watson is indeed the most powerfully talented and divinely gifted actor working in cinema today and she continues to astonish audiences with each succeeding performance in a way that no other actor can touch.

looking at the other titles IMDb users also liked, hardly any of those movies compare. this film is not a cheesy western like 3:10 to Yuma or a good western like Apaloosa. this has a western theme to it but it is way more than that. this type of film will entertain any person looking for fantastic performances and characters. all in all the movie has much more substance than the typical, modern western type movie. the film is dark, suspenseful and has moments of great dialogue. my pick for another solid ARTISTIC western, THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES by the COWARD ROBERT FORD. yes the cast has some big names that may turn off some people but it is awesome. enjoy!

a western. good, impressive, touching. for its simplicity. no heroes. just few brothers, a woman, her husband, shadow of a murder, a form of justice. nothing more. a story without great surprises. but this is explanation for its importance. and for the science of director to give essential pieces of a world.a film about common sense. and its forms. about need of normal life and basic gestures. about errors, sacrifices and expectations. nothing new. or more old. only show of a fight. an interior fight. and a gesture who is more than reflection of a proposition. a dusty town, pieces of a murder, a proposition and a gesture. that is all.