The Old Way Review by Marc Primo

Nicolas Cage is determined to make up for lost time in director Brett Donowho's latest film, "The Old Way." This marks his second foray into the genre, which is more conventional compared to his previous unconventional effort. While his previous film, an environmentally conscious epic where Cage played a frontier explorer obsessed with finding a hidden valley of buffalo to hunt, had some intrigue, "The Old Way" aims to show that Cage's previous avoidance of the genre may have been wise.

In the film's prologue, Cage plays Colton Briggs, a ruthless gunslinger. But 20 years later, he has left that life behind. Now happily married to Ruth, they have a young daughter named Brooke. Colton runs the local general store in a neighboring town. However, the past catches up with him when Ruth is cornered by a group led by escaped convict James McCallister. James seeks revenge for Colton killing his father when he was a young boy. In a gruesome act, James brutally murders Ruth.

When Colton and Brooke return home and discover what has happened, it doesn’t take long for him to shift into revenge mode to go off in pursuit of Ruth’s killers. The one hitch is Brooke's presence, and when his initial plan for taking care of her fails to go through, he winds up taking her along on his quest. Along the way, he teaches her to shoot and to take care of herself, and we eventually learn the explanation for their oddly frosty relationship dynamic—neither one is able to process emotions like grief and fear in “normal” ways. This may not be suitable for interpersonal relationships, but it can be an advantage when heading off on the kind of dangerous journey they have embarked upon. Eventually, the two arrive at the town where McCallister has holed up with his men to craft his elaborate revenge all those years ago.

Carl W. Lucas' screenplay is a mishmash of borrowed elements from other Westerns. "True Grit" heavily influences it, especially the overly verbose dialogue. "River of No Return" and "Unforgiven" are also incorporated. Some instances may remind Cage fans of his previous work, like the failed attempt to protect Brooke, reminiscent of a notorious scene in "Kick-Ass". The basic plot bears resemblance to the excellent film "Pig". However, "The Old Way" fails to weave these elements into a captivating narrative. Plot contrivances, like McCallister's insistence on executing an excessively complex revenge plan instead of simply shooting his target, become increasingly absurd. Worth mentioning is that if the wisest advice in an Old West gang comes from Clint Howard's character, it might be time to consider joining a different gang. One potentially intriguing aspect lies in the emotional peculiarities exhibited by Colton and Brooke, but the film fails to explore this meaningfully.

"The Old Way" is hindered by its main selling point, Cage's performance. While not necessarily poor, there are instances where he seems to be rehearsing for his forthcoming portrayal of Dracula. His contemporary persona feels out of place in a traditional interpretation of the Western genre. In "Butcher's Crossing," his presence was less peculiar due to the genre commentary. As the antagonist, his peculiarity might have been a better fit, but as the protagonist, he never convincingly portrays the character's idiosyncrasies.

If more Westerns were made nowadays, "The Old Way" might have been more tolerable. Sadly, the theatrical Western has lost its appeal. Even a remarkable film like Walter Hill's "Dead for a Dollar" struggles for attention. In this context, a minor misstep like "The Old Way," with its oscillation between seriousness and silliness, lackluster direction by Brett Donowho, and a somewhat miscast lead, becomes more significant. While the Western genre may not be extinct, "The Old Way" certainly doesn't do it any favors.