The Old Way
Nicolas Cage always makes things interesting, even when he isn’t his usual chaotic self. “The Old Way” is a good example of that, because even though we do get moments of the Cage big swings, this western gives him a chance to build a character that is pretty straightforward while also giving us moments of surprising feeling. This is the actor’s first traditional western, and he fits the genre surprisingly well.
Carl W. Lucas’s screenplay works with archetypes and themes the genre has well-worn- here, we get equal parts “Unforgiven” and “True Grit.” The film begins with the potential hanging of Robert McCallister (Boyd Kestner), with his young son looking on. Also looking on is Colton Briggs (Cage), a killer whom isn’t shy killing a man with his son looking on, which he does when the hanging gets interrupted. Flash forward about 20 years, and Briggs is a family man- his wife (Kerry Knuppe) is doing laundry, his daughter Brooke (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) needs to go to school. But when the school is closed, she goes to the store Briggs runs now, unaware that that young boy, now grown (Noah Le Gros), has brought a gang to his house, setting in motion the story of vengeance to come.
Cage has played the loner out for bloody revenge before- most recently in “Mandy”- but seeing him as an old gunslinger, reformed by family, forced into his old ways, it fits him like a glove. He may not have the rugged facial features of William Munny or Rooster Cogburn, but in Cage’s eyes, we can see the look of a man who embraced simplicity in old age, yet can also see how he’d be able to tap into that old vengeance when provoked. Taking his daughter along with him allows us to see him as protector and teacher- it’s very much “True Grit” with a bit of the dark humor of his arc in “Kick-Ass,” and Cage and Armstrong play it beautifully. We see the evolution of their relationship throughout the film’s 95-minutes, and it is a wonderful experience.
Beyond Cage and Armstrong, the rest of the cast helps with the heavy lifting compared to Brett Donowho’s serviceable, but very basic, filmmaking. He knows how to work with the actors, and get strong performances from not just the main actors but Nick Searcy as a Marshal who tries to keep Briggs from doing what he does and Clint Howard as Le Gros’s lackey. We get Nic Cage and Clint Howard in a western together- what’s not to enjoy? “The Old Way” offers very little in terms of fresh ideas for the genre, but it offers some good entertainment.
