Americana

Taking tropes and toying with them, carefully and creatively hitting social and cultural beats and concepts, there is a refinement at play that contemporizes and enriches the classic presentation of middle America and those who live there. The creative refresh of Americana adds much-needed light and shade to a familiar narrative making it feel unique.

While Americana doesn’t particularly reinvent the Western, Tost’s portrayal of characters driven by unfettered greed or justifiable need gives voice to often-ignored segments of society as they strive for agency and respect — an admirable quality in any narrative genre.

The movie is called Americana, not America, and while it treats characters as mixtures of what they were born into and what they chose for themselves, it suggests that there’s something kitschy about the very idea of national identity, whether it’s defined by what’s in your display case or the color of your eyes.

It somehow manages to lack both the true moral murk of a great noir, while also eschewing the elemental drama of a great Western. It’s pretty good at both, though, and Tost seems like he knows it, without letting the movie’s solid craft go to his head.

A sluggish and monotonous country-ified neo-noir that fails to innovate and, worse, to utilize its magnetic leading lady and her capable co-stars.

The cold-bloodedness of it all suggests a harder-nosed thriller of the “Hell or High Water” school was what Tost had in mind. But he tries to soften that up with sentiment, and the plot and tone never coalesce around that compromise.

It’s a violently annoying and annoyingly violent ensemble piece speckled with “look how wacky we are!” characters that are impossible to put up with; a copycat Coen Brothers yarn with the depth of a tortilla.

Great movie, with a lot of heart. I enjoyed it from start to finish and it deserves any and all praise it gets. Well written, well acted, wonderful music and all round ️

Sydney Sweeney and Paul Walter Hauser are just two of the slightly strange people in this film full of unique types. The plot revolves around a valuable Lakota Ghost shirt and several groups who are trying to exploit its value. The story is told in chapters that intertwine the characters and ultimately result in a bloody showdown. Sweeney adds a stutter to her sweet, shy waitress and Hauser plays the softhearted bumbler he does so well. Toss in Halsey as the runaway mom, Gavin Maddox Bergman as her son who thinks he’s Sitting Bull reincarnated, Zahn McClarnon as the real Native American and Simon Rex as the head crook. They all add interesting angles. Director Tony Tost (best known for “Poker Face”) has blended violence, romance and humor to make this new-noir crime drama that’s sometimes surprising and always entertaining.

This film is actually much better than the preview makes it look. Based on the preview, I was expecting something silly, maybe even comedic. This film is certainly not a comedy. As reported in the preview, this film does seem a lot like an early Tarantino film, so if you're a fan of his films, you know basically what to expect and will find this film entertaining.

Oh mais… attendez, ce film est une tarantinade en fait ! une tarantinade pleine de tarantineries (à son insu ou pas…), à savoir des conneries plus ou moins dans tous les sens, avec des personnages azimutés qui se téléscopent avec d’autres tarés et ainsi de suite… tout ça pour récupérer… la chemise ! pas n’importe quelle chemise bien évidemment… et comme ils le disent avec justesse (pour une fois) : pas d’appropriation culturelle, bon sang ! L’histoire (historique) de cette chemise est bien expliquée dans le film, cela étant, et personnellement, j’ignorais cette « légende » ou plutôt ce symbole lourd de sens, cet avatar très étonnant, très édifiant en quelque sorte de l’histoire des Amérindiens. Mais donc, cette tarantinade en marmelade (sans Tarantignole à la barre) n’est certainement pas la pire des tarantinades bien qu’elle en reprenne les codes (et les conneries ; nota bene : je conspue et conchie Tarantino et toutes les merdes qu’il a commises, cela va sans dire). Parfois, c’est même bien drôle, notamment dans le dernier tiers avec un gros coup de féminisme vindicatif… Sweeney en serveuse bègue se débrouille bien dans l’ensemble mais elle n’est pas de tous les plans, loin de là. Beaucoup de gugusses sont en effet là et tirent la caméra à eux… presque un peu comme dans une chierie de Guy Ritchie (nota bene : je conspue et conchie Ritchie et toutes les merdes qu’il a commises, cela va sans dire). Le problème avec toutes ces conneries de tarantineries, c’est la crédibilité… oui, elle est égale à zéro. Et le second problème, c’est la lenteur générale… bien qu’ici, le film fasse moins de deux plombes (heureusement)… mais c’est encore trop. Mais pour finir sur une note un brin plus positive, on notera la belle réalisation : c’est posé, calme et assez élégant dans l’ensemble. Une clarté dans l’action bienvenue et un bon sens du cadre, assurément (bien que l’action… reste rare !).

Terrible movie. Don't waste your money. Go see Weapons instead. You'll regret it otherwise.