Ari Aster’s “Eddington” is here.
The movie, which pits a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) against his mayor (Pedro Pascal), set during the early days of the global pandemic, is fierce and raw. Considering this is from Aster, the director of “Midsommar,” “Hereditary” and “Beau is Afraid,” it is also confrontational and strange and deeply funny, with the action set at the precipice of the complete breakdown in communication that accompanied lockdown. (Indiewire called it “the first truly modern American Western.”)
And if you come out of “Eddington” looking for more offbeat westerns to watch, we’ve got seven that should fill that void nicely.
“Bad Company” (1972)
In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a slew of what were referred to as “acid westerns” – westerns that were set in the distant past but that embraced the counterculture of the period, including, of course, recreational drug use. (Hence the “acid” in “acid western.”) These parallels are made explicitly clear in “Bad Company,” which is one of the very best movies from that era and one of the more underrated. The movie stars Jeff Bridges and Barry Brown (who tragically took his own life before the decade was up) as two young men who dodge the draft during the American Civil War. The movie has an episodic structure, with the pair getting into misadventures along the way, gorgeously shot by legendary cinematographer Gordon Willis, as their wayward drifting transitions to out-and-out lawlessness. If you’ve seen it and are a fan of it or want to check it out now for the first time, Fun City Editions put out a terrific Blu-ray edition recently that is very much worth checking out.
“Walker” (1987)
After making “Repo Man” and “Sid & Nancy,” British director Alex Cox turned his sights on a one-of-a-kind western. The movie stars Ed Harris as William Walker, an American physician, lawyer and mercenary who organized military expeditions into Mexico and at one point made himself president of Nicaragua. Like “Eddington,” “Walker” leans into the events of recent (and current) history – it was actually filmed in Nicaragua during the Contra War, a conflict that would have major implications for American politics. (Just Google Iran-Contra.) What makes “Walker” really bonkers is Cox’s use of historical anachronisms – there will be a Zippo lighter or a Coke can in scenes, and, if you don’t know this going in, it can make you feel like you’re going insane. Incredibly, Universal Pictures released the movie, selling it as a more straightforward western (in the trailer you here but never see a helicopter) and it promptly tanked. Since then, it has caught a second wind, and Criterion put out a killer Blu-ray that is very much worth your time.
“Unforgiven” (1992)
Aster has openly stated that he was influenced by “Unforgiven” in making “Eddington,” and it’s both easy and somewhat difficult to see. There is a meandering quality to the story in both “Unforgiven” and “Eddington,” and we mean that in a positive. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen the Best Picture-winning Clint Eastwood film, there’s a whole section of the movie where the wronged prostitutes hire an assassin named English Bob (Richard Harris), who totally punks out and leaves them high and dry, before they even find Eastwood’s “Will” Munny. There are so many narrative left turns and surprises, which translate to “Eddington” (we don’t want to give anything away), even if “Unforgiven” is a much more traditional Western in tone and look. But hey, if you were looking for an excuse to rewatch “Unforgiven,” consider “Eddington” the reason.
“Lone Star” (1996)
John Sayles’ masterpiece, set in modern times and starring Chris Cooper as a sheriff who investigates the murder of one of his predecessors (Kris Kristofferson) years earlier, investigates time and how the past impacts the present. (These are things very much in “Eddington.”) What was striking about “Lone Star” at the time – and what’s still striking now – is how much iconography and narrative convention from a classic western could be grafted to something that would be considered a “contemporary” film. These are themes and characters and even shot compositions that would not be out of place in a classic western, but dealing with modern concerns and moral ambiguity. (We don’t want to ruin anything if you’ve never seen “Lone Star.”) Just watch it; it has a handful of award-worthy performances and a script by Sayles that was nominated for the Oscar for original screenplay. It also has a must-own 4K from Criterion.
“The Proposition” (2005)
“The Proposition” is bleak, even bleaker than “Eddington” and with fewer jokes. But they do share a connective tissue in their desire to showcase a particular moment in time and the people who inhabit that moment. In “Eddington,” it’s 2020, and the breakdown of law and order around the pandemic is evident. In “The Proposition” it’s the 1880’s, when criminals populated the Australian bush (like famous outlaw Ned Kelly) and English were brutally exterminating Australian Aboriginals. Like we said – bleak. Chances are you’ve never seen this one, which marked the breakthrough film of Australian director John Hillcoat, working from a screenplay by Australian musician Nick Cave, so we’ll spare the details. We’ll just say that Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone enter into a truly screwed up agreement that has dire consequences. Just watch it. It’s worth it. Even if you have to close your eyes occasionally.
“The Counselor” (2013)
Both more straightforward and more bonkers, Ridley Scott’s underrated masterpiece “The Counselor” is the perfect chaser to “Eddington.” Like “Eddington,” it is set in modern times, with deeply conflicted characters occasionally bumping up against and colliding with one another. In the only original screenplay written by the great Cormac McCarthy, Michael Fassbender plays a lawyer who gets in deep with some underworld types and attempts to save himself and his new wife (Penelope Cruz) from damnation. It’s heady, for sure, but also extremely pulpy, with some of the best dialogue this side of the Rio Grande. (Most of it is too filthy to directly quote here.) Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt all offer up superb supporting performances. And if you really want to feel the full power of “The Counselor,” which we would put in the top 5 Ridley movies, watch the extended version. It gives everything more time to luxuriate. We are desperate for a longer “Eddington”, too, for that matter.
“Hell or High Water” (2016)
What a movie – aesthetically “Hell or High Water” is probably closest to “Eddington” in its attempt to replicate the feeling of the old west in contemporary context. The movie, which people forget was nominated for four Academy Awards (including Best Picture), follows Chris Pine and Ben Foster, who are robbing banks to save their family ranch. Jeff Bridges is the Texas Ranger on their tail. They both tackle current-day social issues (the pandemic vs. the country’s abysmal economic condition) but do it in an incredibly entertaining way, with Scottish director David Mackenzie upping the tension and Nick Cave and Warren Ellis delivering a beautiful, elegiac score (they also scored “The Proposition,” see above). While “Hell or High Water” might be more outwardly entertaining, it is still very much of a piece with “Eddington.” Again: with fewer jokes and conspiracies.
