JANE GOT A GUN is a disappointingly grungy western that goes through the motions without ever engaging the senses. It's another film that's full of flashbacks but unlike in, say, BRIMSTONE, these feel padded and drag the snail's pace down to a crawl. The film has a murky and digital look to it which I didn't care for and indeed it feels quite depressing. Natalie Portman is the erstwhile heroine but she ends up making way for Joel Edgerton's tough gunslinger for most of the film. The film builds and builds to a climax, but when it occurs it takes place in the dark so that you struggle to see what's going on. Altogether this is rather disappointing and certainly not the mini-epic I was hoping for.

It's the New Mexico Territory in 1871. Jane (Natalie Portman) is hounded by the Bishop boys after her husband Bill "Ham" Hammond (Noah Emmerich) got severely injured by them. She gets help from her former love Dan Frost (Joel Edgerton). She thought that he was killed during the civil war and she married Ham afterwards where they got entangled with the Bishop boys. It's a tale of lost, tragedy, and revenge.

The first half is a muddle of unexplained situations, and confused flashbacks. The story finally gets some exposition in the second half. There is a compelling tragedy but it needs to be told better and earlier. The final act has good cold violence although it sometimes isn't as cold as it needs to be. There is definitely a good potential of a dark, stark western but it's too fuzzy.

First, this may have started with the wrong character. It should follow Dan Frost as he searches for his love Jane. The audience can learn about the situation along with Dan. Also the ending is too happy for the tone of the movie. This is a dark revenge story and I would probably kill off Dan midway through. That way would allow Jane to get her killing on for the last act.

Jane Got a Gun is directed by Gavin O'Connor and collectively written by Brian Duffield, Anthony Tambakis and Joel Edgerton. It stars Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, Ewan McGregor, Noah Emmerich, Boyd Holbrook and Rodrigo Santoro. Music is by Marcello De Francisci and Lisa Gerrard and cinematography is by Mandy Walker.

Jane Hammond (Portman) has to turn to her ex lover, Dan Frost (Edgerton),for help when it's revealed that the notorious Bishop gang are heading her way in search of her husband Bill (Emmerich).

It's going to be one of those films more talked about for what it could have been than what it is. Changes in production staff were unbound, from director, writer, photographer and some big name cast changes, it was a production blighted and destined to be on a loser. It hasn't helped that with it being a slow paced character based picture, and a Western at that, the market for a fan base was already running low on potential supporters. So what we left with?

It undoubtedly is one for hard core Western fans only, it's hard to envisage newcomers entering into the genre for the first time, perhaps lured by the casting of Portman, being won over to the point of seeking out other classic Westerns of past and present. Yet it's got a lot going for it, because if you have the want, then it may just take a second viewing to fully absorb and enjoy.

At its core it's a straight Oater of redemption, opportunities waylaid by fate, and of course a good old good versus bad axis. Relying on a flashback structure to set up the character dynamics, it can get a bit disorientating at times, hence the shout out for a second viewing. However, it may not be the perfect way to build the principal characters, but they are worth the investment for there's a big emotional pull there.

Having laid the foundation for the first two thirds of the pic, we shift to good old honest violence, for siege read backs against the wall, and not without invention, in fact there's much resourcefulness on show, with Jane at times very much leading the way. The last third pays off handsomely, even if there's the (arguably) inevitable sugar coated candy to swallow as part of the final deal. Cast are dandy and turning in perfs of note, though it needed more of McGregor's John Bishop, because with what little he gets he does make a villainous mark.

It looks terrific, Walker's photography bringing to mind the genre work of Roger Deakins, with the New Mexico locations blistering in their beauty, and while the sound mix for dialogue exchanges is a little poor, the musical score is thumping in its tonal appreciations. It's tricky to recommend with confidence even to Western fans, especially in a year when "Jane" had to compete with the more rambunctious Magificent Seven reboot, but give it a chance if you liked something like Slow West, and you may just be pleasantly surprised. 7/10