Dir. Jan Kounen, 2004, France, 124 mins
Cast: Vincent Cassell, Michael Madsen, Eddie Izzard, Juliette Lewis
There may be cowboys, Indians and gold in them thar hills, but this is no ordinary Western.
Jan Kounen's follow-up to Dobermann features the usual theme of good vs evil, shoot-ups at noon and a treasure map leading to hidden gold. It also reverses the usual cowboys=good/Indians=bad dichotomy, and throws in some shamanic mysticism for good measure. Mere popcorn fodder this ain't.
Mike Blueberry (played as a young man by Hugh O'Conor) arrives in town as a troubled teen in need of taming but is quickly distracted by a winsome prostitute. His first night ends in tragedy when Wally Blount (Madsen, Reservoir Dogs) arrives and also stakes a claim on her. The hapless whore winds up dead in the ensuing testosterone surge while a wounded Blueberry is rescued and healed by Chiracahua Indians and raised as one of their own.
Several years later this bond places strains on Blueberry (now played by Vincent Cassell) when he returns to the town as sheriff. With explosive mistrust of the Chiracahua brewing the townsfolk want to know exactly where his loyalties lie. The existence of a treasure map brings things to a head with the return of Blount. Only Blueberry can stop him attaining the ancient secrets but it's not with guns, but in their minds, that they eventually fight.
Like The Matrix, this film will likely be either loved or hated. It also requires a leap of faith by the audience. Will they 'take a pill' (or in this case, a sacred drink) and see true reality?
In The Matrix, Neo chooses reality, and wakes up to discover the world for what it really is: a dark and brutal place where human beings are consumables. Mike Blueberry chooses to drink the Chiracahua potion and sees himself as he really his. He must battle his fear as he comes face to face with his dark and brutal nature.
Kounen represents the awakening of this reality through computer generated images of shamanic symbols: snakes, beetles and so on. These scenes are based on Kounen's own shamanic experiences - so what appears on screen is as authentic as it gets without the aid of hallucinogenic plants. Anti-drug campaigners may not be so appreciative of another screen instance of chemically enhanced enlightenment. In fact, in this tale of shamanistic healing, only those who embrace its power are ultimately saved.
Aside from such controversies, the SFX and photography are stunning. In particular the opening scene in which the camera follows a bird's flight is striking and creates a fittingly euphoric stage on which the plot can unwind.
For such an unusual story (based loosely on the Blueberry comic series) there had to be an eclectic cast too. Kounen isn't one to typecast, with comedian Eddie Izzard playing the villain's double-crossing accomplice Prosit. While his performance is entertaining, he doesn't quite shake off his larger-than-life persona: one keeps expecting him to end his dialogue with "cake or death?" Meanwhile, Juliette Lewis (Kalifornia) who so often plays the wild teenager seems to have finally grown up on-screen. If there's one detraction, it's her gratuitous full-frontal scene at the very end of the film.
There are also easter egg cameos to be spotted: veteran actor Ernest Borgnine as the sheriff; Juliette Lewis's real father as her on-screen father; and even Kounen himself as the village idiot, Billy.
This is an extraordinary film, and one which dares to tread a new path in an already well-worn genre. While The Matrix tapped into a generation's ego ('it's deep - and I get it') Mike Blueberry's journey has more substance. Some may find it over-long, pretentious and bewildering, but viewed with an open mind, it's an enjoyable and rewarding film.
Ruth Bushi
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