1) Slow West
Every now and again, a new director comes along who completely knocks it out of the park with his first feature, setting a benchmark against which all of their subsequent films will be measured. M. Night Shyamalan peaked far too soon with The Sixth Sense, but the promise of Slow West suggests that John Maclean has a bright future ahead of him indeed.
Starring future Nightcrawler Kodi Smit-McPhee, Slow West follows a young man named Jay who leaves Scotland behind to search for his long lost love in the American West. Early on in his journey, Jay encounters a bounty hunter who agrees to protect him in exchange for a fee. Events soon take an ugly turn though when Silas senses an opportunity to take advantage of the situation, realizing that Jay’s estranged lover has a bounty on her head that needs collecting…
Michael Fassbender is as impressive as always in the role of Silas, but Kodi’s beautifully restrained performance is the standout here, marking him as a talent to watch. In fact, everything about Slow West is beautifully restrained. From the harsh, awe-inspiring landscapes to the dark flashes of humour threaded throughout, Slow West is a stark reminder of what the Western genre has to offer and redefines what first time filmmakers are capable of.