The Sisters Brothers

Novelist Patrick DeWitt's idiosyncratic take on the western is brought searingly to the screen by French director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet). Dialling down the book's humour, Audiard brings a rugged authenticity to proceedings, with rote brutality punctured by glimmers of humanity. The siblings in question are a pair of gruff assassins: the hot-headed, cold-blooded Charlie (Joaquin Phoenix) and weary equine enthusiast Eli (John C Reilly). They are in pursuit of a humble chemist (Riz Ahmed) who has developed a divining substance to locate gold, and taken off with the brothers' scout (Jake Gyllenhaal). The majesty of the landscapes is matched by the wonder of encroaching civilisation - grubby, makeshift towns give way to a fancy city hotels, Eli tries his hand at using a toothbrush and gawps at a flushing toilet, while the pair are absolutely delighted by the sight of the Pacific Ocean. Reilly and Phoenix are amusing in their absurdity, endearing in their loyalty and unspoken affection, and chilling in their capacity for carnage. And, although the men are haunted by their history of violence, the film finds hope for their future.