In 1845, three families are heading to new homes in Oregon Territory and relying on a grizzled frontiersman named Stephen Meek (Bruce Greenwood) to lead the way.
It’s not going so well. One member of the small wagon train uses a knife to etch “Lost” into a log early in the film.
The prairie is taking a toll. Water is running short. A wagon has broken down.
The three men whose families are heading West can’t decide whether to hang Meeks for intentionally guiding them in the wrong direction or trust him to get them back on track.
They decide to give him a few more days.
Then the small band comes across a lone Indian.
Meek wants to kill him immediately. Solomon Tetherow and his wife Emily have a different idea.
They want to befriend the ‘savage” in hopes that he’ll lead them to water.
Meek warns that he’s more likely to lead them into an ambush.
Bruce Greenwood as Stephen Meek, full of tall tales, but errant in his sense of direction in Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
Rod Rondeauz as The Indian, hopefully guiding the settlers to water in Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
Review:
Proof that you don’t have to spend a fortune to make a realistic looking Western. The film aptly depicts the hardship, solitude and wavering faith faced by three families heading West.
Greenwood is particularly believable as the bombastic guide, telling tales of past feats even as the bleak prospects for his tiny band bring into question his abilities as a frontiersman.
But — and it’s a big but — the film moves at a snail’s pace. We don’t get invested in the characters enough to frankly care much whether they live or die.
And after watching the film move at a snail’s pace for 100 minutes, an ending might have helped.
Michelle Williams as Emily Tetherow, watching and wondering about Meek in Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
Neal Hoff as William White, fearful over a shortage of water in Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
Directed by:
Kelly Reichardt
Cast:
Michelle Williams … Emily Tetherow
Will Patton … Solomon Tetherow
Bruce Greenwood … Stephen Meek
Rod Rondeaux … The Indian
Paul Dano … Thomas Gately
Zoe Kazan … Millie Gately
Neal Huff … William White
Shirley Henderson … Glory White
Tommy Nelson … Jimmy White
Runtime: 104 min.
Zoe Kazan as Millie Gately, making good use of a break in travel in Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
Paul Dano as Thomas Gately, wondering if Meeks can be trusted to lead the way in Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
Memorable lines:
Solomon to his wife Emily: “Gately’s happy enough to hang a man, long as he’s not around.”
Stephen Meek: “It’s like my feet have gloves. Like I can handle the ground I’m walking on. I feel the sand. I feel the dirt. I feel the gravel. I never slip. I never stumble. I can follow a trail in the dark. I never stray off the path. I live with this world, not just in it, that’s what I’m sayin’.”
Emily to Solomon: “Is he ignorant? Or just plain evil? That’s my quandary. It’s impossible to know.”
Meek to Emily: “We’re not lost, we’re just finding our way.”
Shirley Henderson as Glory White, growing more suspicious of Meek’s intentions in Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
Tommy Nelson as Jimmy White, the young boy traveling West with his parents in Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
Thomas Gately (Paul Dano), Millie Gatley (Zoe Kazan) and Solomon Tetherow (Will Patton) concerned about Indians in Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
Michelle Williams as Emily Tetherow, coming to the defense of a fellow traveler in Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
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