IR Film Review: OLD HENRY [Shout]
A movie providing a twist on no budget with limited actors and very limited locations is hard to pull off even when there is not a pandemic. Despite some restrictions but a stellar performance by Tim Blake Nelson made even more so as the layers are unraveled, "Old Henry" is old school and yet delivers its goods with both stakes, time and focus. Nelson plays Henry McCurty who has been living on his farm raising his son (Gavin Lewis) for over 10 years since his wife died of tuberculosis. One day a would-be outlaw crosses his path, a horse is abandoned, money unclaimed, blood spilled. The film reveals little bits and pieces as it goes along but keeps it pretty well under its hat until the final act, which is an accomplishment but makes everything Nelson does and how writer/director Potsy Ponciroli builds it that much more effective. Ponciroli has done a limited amount of work but his style here, especially into the third act is superb.
Nelson, hidden under a thick mustache and mop, just oozes rough but worldly in a way that even in "The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs" one couldn't see. This is him at his sullen best, full of power and yet agility, darkness and tenderness at the same time. The twist is beautiful and one that this reviewer will not give away because going into it dark, and only knowing its genre in the Western, made for dynamic viewing that keeps you engaged. The rest of the cast is effective but also under-recognizable enough to make it work. Stephen Dorf as a would-be lawman is effective and yet one would not know it is him. Trace Atkins as Al also plays almost against type. Scott Haze as would-be outlaw (he has big film roles coming up) plays the mystery but keeps it interesting.
The film is about misdirects without telling a lie which is a big metaphor in the movie. The script perfectly integrates that. At one point Haze and Nelson are sitting at the dinner table and Henry (Nelson) is trying to see if his houseguest is telling the truth. The beauty of the story is how it is tit-for-tat without seemingly like it is. Henry studies his charge but doesn't give anything away. The only thing that matters is his boy but the irony is that he can't connect with him in the way that would easier. That is the brilliance of the balance of the story because everything builds correctly based on that precep. It is not overdone but it is not underdone. The acting is succinct and yet Nelson hits it out of the park while being subtle for the most part. "Old Henry" is an interesting little gem...a "What If..." if you will that delivers without expectation, which is the best kind of gift to get. A-
By Tim Wassberg
