Plot: What’s it about?
Sadly, the western genre has all but died over the past few decades. Once in a while, however, we are treated to one. One of my favorites was the 2007 remake of “3:10 to Yuma”. That film worked on its own terms, but also improved on the original film and took a new direction with a few plot points. 2013’s Sweetwater (A.K.A. Sweet Vengeance) is essentially the story of a woman (January Jones) seeking revenge for her husband’s death. This is not the main focus. We also follow two other characters and their story-lines ultimately merge. Ed Harris is no stranger to the western genre. He not only starred in, but co-wrote and directed 2008’s “Appaloosa”. That film, while slight, was still a worthy effort. Harris does great work here as Sheriff Jackson. He is set out to find two missing brothers. Harris steals nearly every scene he’s in. Clearly, he’s having a great time and we have a great time watching him. I enjoyed the scene of him giving geography lessons using a knife and a wooden table. Jason Isaacs also fares well. He plays prophet Josiah. His methods are more than a little unconventional. He does many illegal things and uses Religion to try to justify his ways. January Jones is perhaps best known for her role in the TV show “Mad Men”. I’ve never seen that show, but she does good work here. Jones plays Sarah Ramirez, she is happily married, but eventually finds her self on a quest for vengeance. The characters have their motives and the film builds towards a confrontation between these three characters.
I won’t say this film will ever be remembered as a classic western, but it’s still worth checking out. Not everything works in it, but enough of it works to recommend. I do wish it had a stronger focus on one particular character. It isn’t until the last 30 minutes or so that Sarah begins her quest for vengeance, but I was never bored with it. I feel if the focus had been on the Harris or Isaacs characters that it would’ve fared better too. These are two great actors that play these characters flawlessly. Still, I enjoyed the film. It tells a relatively simple story and for the most part, it works. There’s enough humor, action and character development to keep us interested. Logan Miller directed the film and shows promise, even if the film isn’t perfect. The cinematography is sharp, with the dusty background giving a nice sense of the feel of the location. Jones even has a brief nude scene where she lures two men to her before shooting them. If you’re looking for a good western that tells a simple story and doesn’t take itself too seriously, then Sweetwater is for you. The characters are well developed and the actors playing them are having a great time and it shows on screen. Check it out.
Video: How’s it look?
I’ve always found westerns to be great examples of HD reference quality. That is assuming the transfer does justice to the film. Thankfully, it does here. This is by no means a big budgeted film, but it still looks great on Bluray. Colors are even and smooth and flesh tones accurate. There are more than a few scruffy looking characters in this film and the details are clear in every scene. Wrinkles, facial hair, dirty teeth. You name it, it’s all here with strong clarity. The image is AVC encoded with a 2.35:1 ratio. The dusty background with the sun drenched skies shows up remarkably here too. The print used is clean and free of debris, despite the otherwise, dirty setting. This transfer satisfies.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Also faring well is the film’s DTS HD track. It should be noted that, while the film has action, it’s not a non-stop action flick. Don’t expect an overly robust track here. It does serve the film nicely though. There’s some subtle, but nice background noise throughout. Vocals were loud and clear with birds and other things displaying nice background detail. The climax kicks things up a bit with bullets flying left and right. The various shots and pings make good use of the rear channels. The desert noise also adds a nice touch throughout with the dust blowing and various other objects. This is a nice track that serves the film well.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The movie doesn’t come with a plethora of supplements, but here’s a run down of what to expect:
- The Making of Sweetwater – Is a little over 10 minutes and offers the usual interviews with the cast and crew. There are a few interesting tidbits here, but it’s also very self congratulatory.
- Music Video – “Cold Grey light of dawn” Hudson Moore. I didn’t care for this, but to each their own.
- Previews – We not only get the film’s trailer, but a few other previews as well. The film’s trailer is on the special features page while the others play as the disc loads.
