SXSW Quick Review: The Hero

Our bloggers are downtown all week this week at SXSW.  We'll be posting very concise reviews from the fest for your enjoyment!  Because about the only way you'll be able to catch these flicks until they begin releasing to the world unless you too are locked with a badge or a wristband, we'll try to keep the spoilers under control.The Hero, Dir. Brett Haley

This photo represents the film pretty well. Sam Elliott plays an aging western star at the end of his career and life with no new experiences to have other than watching the tides roll in day to day, and take up the occasional voice over commercial work. If that sounds kinda bland or tired, you'd be right as there just really isn't much to the script or nuanced story. BUT the film is carried and elevated by the masterful performance of Mr. Elliott. One of the signs of a great actor is not being able to take your eyes off them. He commands the screen and your attention with a simple look to the horizon or with one of his exchanges with co-stars Laura Prepon, Nick Offerman, or Krysten Ritter. And the supporting cast is great here, revealing bits and pieces of his character, pushing the movie along nicely. It does all come back to the work here of Sam Elliott, proving once again that he is a legend of the screen, still has marks to make, and reminds us of the power of just a plain great leading performance.

-Kyle Cates