Nicolas Cage Is Chief Draw of ‘Gunslingers,’ Yet He Proves a Liability

Toward the conclusion of Brian Skiba’s new film, “Gunslingers,” there is a cliff-hanging moment that is, in its choreography and underhanded humor, worth sitting up for. During a tumultuous showdown between the good guys and the bad guys, a trio of cowboys from the former group find themselves on the gallows awaiting their comeuppance. When the trap door under their feet falls, gravity takes effect, the nooses gain in tautness, and our heroes struggle against certain death.Bad, right? But then things get better, kind of: One of their compadres manages to cut through a haze of bullets to wedge himself under the trap door and, using all the strength available to him, lift it — but only enough so that the three are able to skitter on their tip-toes, holding on to a slim purchase of life. Additional complications ensue; more tense business is done with that damned door.Has a scene like this been toyed with before? One could imagine Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton yoking a similar situation, or Sam Peckinpah or Akira Kurosawa. Genre completists may come up with a point of reference — something in a Spaghetti Western, maybe, or an Audie Murphy picture — but casual fans will be struck by how cleverly Mr. Skiba, who also wrote the screenplay, perks our attention.“Gunslingers” is the first time news of this particular auteur has come through the transom. A quick jaunt across the web shows Mr. Skiba to be a prolific filmmaker. If the Internet Movie DataBase is to be believed — always an iffy proposal — he has about 30 films to his name, including deathless fare like “Evil Doctor” (2018), “Obsessed With The Babysitter” (2021), and “The Single Mom Conspiracy” (2021). A journeyman to the genre born, Mr. Skiba moves fast, works cheap, and, from all appearances, makes a decent buck.Mohamed Karim, Stephen Dorff, and Tzi Ma in ‘Gunslingers.’ Via LionsgateCertainly Mr. Skiba is a dab hand at yoking the conventions of the Western. “Gunslingers” is a product whose tenor and turns err on the side of tradition — please, let’s not call it “cliche.” His American West is unapologetic showbiz mythos. Biblical overtones are mixed with stock situations and recognizable archetypes: so much so that you can’t help but wonder if “Gunslingers” isn’t as much a parody as it is a homage.’Twas ever thus, you might say: Directors like John Ford and Anthony Mann, no less than Bud Boetticher and Sergio Leone, mined well-trod territories and managed to give them their own indelible spins. Mr. Skiba is more workaday as a craftsman, being inclined to dole out the cinematic equivalent of comfort food rather than to touch upon hard moral truths.The chief draw of “Gunslingers” is Nicolas Cage, a querulous actor whose mannerisms have garnered him a significant, often adoring fan base. In recent years, Mr. Cage has taken on ventures that have placed him wide of the Hollywood mainstream. He was in fine fettle as a rogue buffalo hunter in Gabe Polsky’s “Butcher’s Crossing” (2023), a picture that came, went, and didn’t conquer. Too bad: It was pretty good.Alas, Mr. Cage is a liability in “Gunslingers.” Did Mr. Skiba encourage the actor to pattern his anachronistic performance as a born-again bandit on the Godfather of Soul, James Brown? If so, he did a flagrant disservice to the other actors — most of whom inhabit their standard-issue characters with a palpable sense of a job well done. Heather Graham is on hand as a cowgirl babymama and Stephen Dorff is appropriately gruff as an outlaw who has a price on his head.Otherwise, this story of brotherly antagonism and honor amongst thieves is suitably overripe and best suited for audiences who prefer entertainments that toe the line rather than tippy-toe on its edge.

Nicolas Cage Is Chief Draw of ‘Gunslingers,’ Yet He Proves a Liability

Nicolas Cage Is Chief Draw of ‘Gunslingers,’ Yet He Proves a Liability

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