Jane Got A Gun

Director Gavin O’Connor’s Jane Got A Gun suffers most from its unfortunate title. 

 

Thanks to a lack of or poor marketing, I was expecting a contemporary thriller; not a Western.  However, for me, the draw was Natalie Portman and I was not disappointed in her performance as a post-Civil War wife/mother in New Mexico whose family is threatened by a ruthless team of outlaws.    

The back story of how she got into her situation, at first, seems intrusive and it is not until late in the film that the strings are tied together in an effective manner.  Writers Brian Duffield, Anthony Tambakis and Joel Edgerton should have reworked this element of the script to allow Editor Alan Cody a chance to shuffle scenes in a more dramatic fashion.

As it is, if you like Westerns, you’ll enjoy Jane Got A Gun because of Portman’s determination as both Actress and Producer.   If you’re not a fan of this genre, however, the story is not powerful enough to warrant your attention.

I give Jane Got A Gun a 2.3 out of 5.