The Sisters Brothers was... quite good.
The Sisters Brothers takes a familiar western tale and manages to tweak it enough to stand out. Despite what the trailers would have you believe this is no comedy. The film tells the story of two mercenary brothers on the trail of a fugitive. Both John C. Reilly and Joaquin Pheonix turn in excellent performances here playing off each other expertly and really selling their somewhat complicated relationship to the audience. Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed are also great as unlikely allies in a harsh and unforgiving world.
This film is bleak, extremely bleak, Reilly's vulnerable performance as Eli Sisters is just about the only human thing you can latch onto for long stretches of this film. There is the occasional chuckle-worthy sequence, but rarely does it elevate the tone for long. Still, I respect the positive turn they ultimately managed to take things towards the end. If you enjoy gritty, this has enough to peel your skin off.
8/10 Compassionately Cruel