Rent The Thicket (2024)

No Subtitles! - The Thicket review by AgF

This should be a good film - it looks beautiful and handles it's violent themes with dramatic panache. But it was ruined for me by the absence of subtitles. Why go to all the production expense of making a film and deny the pleasure of it to the deaf and hearing impaired. Shame.

The Thicket - not a collective name for stupid people.....I think. - The Thicket review by The REAL Film Cricket

The Thicket is a Western and I have a history with Westerns, despite being born and brought up in the reasonably lawful and quiet United Kingdom I loved the raw violence, riding horses and problems that Western threw at me on the screen.

Serge Leone helped this obviously but I was influenced and enjoyed many films set in the ‘Wild West’ from before when Mr. Eastwood and his pals took over the genre when I saw them as a little boy and young man.

So, The Thicket has a lot of good competition to challenge but it is always going to be watched by me. Plus, I really enjoy Peter Dinklage and the films and shows he is in. The Thicket was no exception – he walks into roles and for some reason he always works in them. Does not matter about the story, the film, the character he seems to fit smoothly into his role. I enjoy watching him.

Unfortunately The Thicket was not as enjoyable as Peter.

Set in or around the early 20th century – we have cars and motorbikes – but in the seemingly middle of nowhere – hence ‘The Thicket’ location – things start off a bit oddly and never really pick up.

A girl stands in the middle of a sort of road and watches someone ride at speed at her from miles away on a motorbike – I think we are supposed to realise she does not really know what it is – and just watches as it appears to be going to hit her head on. It seems our early ‘hero’ is a bit stupid or unaware I guess. Which she is as she gets dragged around the area and causes all the problems…

We then get to see Juliette Lewis as the ‘cartoon baddie’ who just snarls and grumps and looks evil and mean all the time and kills people for the fun. There is no nuance, no real need to seriously act, no character, just a cartoon baddie – and thus the story goes on.

Most of the ‘victims’ are stupid, get caught out easily and seem to make the worst decision they can. The baddies kill everyone they can and the mooch around in the middle of nowhere, so no real life, no point in stealing things or killing people.

And on we go. The film is definitely filmed in ‘realistic locations’ but it is very dark and makes some scenes difficult to see what is happening, and everyone seems mean – was it really like that? The dialogue is hard to catch at times and often makes little sense to what is happening.

Peter Dinklage’s character at least gives reasons for his actions and what he is planning to do – you might think it is pointless, but it does sort of make sense. The only character that does.

As I trailed through the stupid rambling story it struck me that as a Western they decided it must be super violent, have lots of murders and violent deaths and virtually everyone was mean and horrible. If they seemed not to be they died at some point.

The F-word was not used at this time – the dialogue is modern, not sure if that was done on purpose, but it was noticeable, swearing and shocking people was taking the Lords name in vain. Maybe this part of the writing was done to get modern younger audiences onside?

Also my big bugbear was there again – any action, any excitement, make sure everyone screams and shouts. Every film nowadays has only one answer for action and ‘excitement’ – scream and shout and loads of noise.

It is so predictable and boring