Reviewed - An Unfinished Life: A starry cast can't redeem the sheer banality of this dreary modern-day western, writes Michael Dwyer
'YOU'VE seen too many westerns, old man," Gary (Damian Lewis), the unshaven, chain-smoking villain, tells taciturn farmer and recovering alcoholic Einar Gilkyson (Robert Redford) midway through An Unfinished Life.
A brazen affront to the former Sundance Kid, however haggard he looks nowadays, but it certainly rings true in terms of most recent modern westerns. The establishing scenes are so clunky and obvious that it's easy to anticipate the entire plotline and its contrived resolution within the first 15 minutes.
For the record, Jennifer Lopez plays Gary's lover and victim, Jean, who flees with her daughter, Griff (Becca Gardner) after yet another violent assault, taking minimal belongings - just enough to provide Lopez with fetching wardrobe changes. In desperation, Jean turns to her estranged father-in-law, Einar, who blames her for causing the death of his son in a car accident. The movie takes its title from the epitaph on the son's gravestone.
Einar lives on a remote Wyoming farm with an ailing sage and former ranch hand (Morgan Freeman). Even though this belatedly released 2003 production was made well before the similarly set Brokeback Mountain, the close bond between the two older men prompts young Griff to ask if they are gay. This is the sole flash of humour in a movie where the conveniently single local sheriff (Josh Lucas) is the only adult not steeped in guilt and recrimination.
It goes without saying that the turgid plotting eventually leads to forgiveness and reconciliation, but not before feeding oodles of arch dialogue to the actors, as when Jean drops a plate and Einar yells, "Did it ever occur to you that not everything can be replaced?" For added symbolism, a bear wanders through the proceedings.
The bear is played by Bart, who, despite getting a computerised stand-in, really ought to change agents, having been cast in Without a Paddle and Dr Dolittle 2 before this stodgy yarn.
