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The Sisters Brothers

Hanging out on horseback

In 1850s Oregon, the notorious assassins Eli and Charlie Sisters (John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix, displaying some fine filial chemistry) are tasked with tracking down a prospector (Riz Ahmed) who has stolen something from their boss, and the man’s improbable protector (Jake Gyllenhaal). This meticulously detailed hybrid western/action/character piece from French director Jacques Audiard (based on the novel by Canada’s Patrick DeWitt) adroitly tweaks the tropes of the rusty old western genre, and does so with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Offbeat, intelligent, introspective and full of surprises. (122 min)