WHITY (GERMANY/1971/RAINER WERNER FASSBINDER)

A unique, feverish spin on the Western, Whity centres on the troubled life of a man caught between several worlds. The illegitimate son of proud town official Ben Nicholson and his African-American servant, Whity serves as whipping boy for many of the townsfolk, even being shunned by his own mother. When Ben claims to be dying, his wife and sons each try to seduce Whity into killing off the others, effectively leaving them to inherit all of Ben’s money. Ben, of course, is perfectly healthy, and witnesses his test of faith go terribly awry.

As his idol Jean-Luc Godard had done so frequently in the sixties, Fassbinder subverts the very conventions of the genre he works with in, essentially divorcing the Western of its ‘Western-ness’. Colour, in its every manifestation, is of utmost importance in the film. In addition to the expected dusty yellows and browns, the screen is populated by florid reds and pinks, almost shocking in their appearance. More bizarrely, racial difference is marked by burlesque makeup – everyone except for the protagonist is literally black or white. Hanna Schygulla, a regular collaborator of Fassbinder’s, has a fantastically demented turn as a singing prostitute, several marks off Marlene Dietrich in her coquettish crooning. It’s clear that Whity was a preferred project of Fassbinder’s, as his kitsch parody attempts to tackle many controversial subjects – racism, sexism, sadism, bestiality – and though it is more likely to provoke than inspire, Fassbinder makes it clear that it’s not to be taken too seriously.

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (USA/2007/ANDREW DOMINIK)

Owing as much to Andrei Tarkovsky as it does to John Ford, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is an unusual mood piece, both exciting and somniferous. Jesse James (Brad Pitt) is at the prime of his life when Bob Ford, a bashful teenager who idolises James, approaches him with the hope of collaborating with the infamous criminal. After joining in on a successful train robbery, James’ gang disbands and Bob continues to shadow Jesse, simultaneously growing more awed and disenchanted with his hero. When he discovers former gang members are colluding to capture him for a bounty, Jesse relies on Bob more and more, little knowing that Bob is soon to betray him.

The film succeeds primarily on a visual level. Photographer Roger Deakins, renowned as a frequent collaborator of the Coen brothers, works his magic over all 160 minutes, and there’s not a single frame that wouldn’t look lovely hanging on a wall. Extreme use of bokeh (that is to say, blurred backgrounds and sharp foregrounds) has a similar existentialist effect as it does in Sokurov’s haunting Mother And Son.

While great care has been taken to retain historical accuracy, the film loses rhythm in the middle and it becomes somewhat sluggish. However, this is more than made up for by great performances from a well-selected cast. Casey Affleck as Bob proves there’s acting talent to be found in the Affleck clan, while Brad Pitt outdoes himself in his best role of the decade.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD (SOUTH KOREA/2008/KIM JI-WOON)

Embodying all the idiosyncrasies that the paradoxical designation “Oriental western” could conjure up, The Good, The Bad, The Weird opens on a train as three men chase each other to obtain a treasure map. The mayhem develops when the trio disembark the train and continue their hunt on foot, competing with bandits and Japanese soldiers who have come to hear of the map. As tensions rise, the men come to realise that the map itself is of little importance, and a lot is at stake. Budding star Lee Byung-hun, soon to be seen in I Come With The Rain and G.I. Joe, portrays The Bad, a steadfast hitman, while the ursine Song Kang-Ho plays The Weird, a naïve but self-assured thief. Jung Woo-Sung completes the main cast as bounty hunter The Good.

When taken in the context of Kim Ji-Woon’s apparently flawless track record (The Quiet Family, A Tale Of Two Sisters, A Bittersweet Life), or even in light of other recent Korean success stories, The Good, The Bad, The Weird does look pretty disposable. Admittedly, the director’s trademark plot contrivances are scrapped in favour of straightforward entertainment, and the characters are little more than a Sergio Leone pastiche – but that’s not to say he has grown lazy. Photographically, the film is an incredible feat, the camera almost as well-choreographed as the stuntmen, and it is near impossible not to explode with laughter at some of the more slapstick moments. By no means a classic, but a thoroughly entertaining watch.