People often say that the greatest stories would never happen if the hero took a moment to say “nope, this is not my problem.”  Old Henry shows us just how hard it can be to resist the temptation of getting involved.  After Henry (Tim Blake Nelson) and his son, Wyatt (Galvin Lewis) take in Curry (Scott Haze), a wounded stranger, the pair soon realize their houseguest may not be as straitlaced as they originally believed.  When Sheriff Ketchum (Stephen Dorff) rides up to ask some questions about a man gone missing, Henry and Wyatt learn just how in over their heads they are from showing a little bit of kindness. 

Potsy Ponciroli writes and directs the western for release by Shout! Factory and breathes new life into a dusty old story arc we know so well.  The beginning opens with many of the familiar tropes that establish the narrative, but as the 99-minute film unfolds, Ponciroli makes the story his own.  After our introduction to Henry and his conflicting philosophy on life with that of Wyatt, we get the feeling that Henry – who already looks impossibly old – has seen more in his years than his son is aware.  Shortly after, the inciting incident which is reminiscent of No Country for Old Men (2007) presents itself in the form of a satchel full of cash.  A man, who just minutes ago showed the audience his morality, is tested, and ultimately fails, igniting the fuse of his own tragedy with his actions. 

With Curry’s condition growing worse, Henry leaves to bring back the doctor to tend to the man’s wounds.  Back at home and unattended, Wyatt has his own temptations to contend with as the sheltered son who, in his own words, is the only boy for 50 miles that has never fired a gun.  There is a critical moment at the turning point of the film when Henry returns that informs us of their strained relationship but also sets the stage for the really wonderful, albeit understated, development between the two men who will come to an understanding to close the rift between them.  Lewis gives a great performance here, going toe to toe with Nelson who is a terrifying force in his own right – a far cry from his role as the titular musical cowboy in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018).  Neither Henry nor Wyatt are willing to concede and admit the other was right, summed up best after a blunder allows Curry to gain the upper hand by a muttering Henry: “well, that one is on us both” in a manner that shuts the matter for any further discussion. 

Curry, who fills the McBurney-esque role for the first half of the film as the injured yet ominous stranger, comes to his own much the same way as his The Beguiled (1971, 2017) counterpart, capitalizing on Henry and Wyatt’s compassion but never losing sight of his own needs.  Haze is menacing not just in his mysterious immediate past, but as each character reveal unfolds, his allegiance in that scene is never cut and dry.  What is most striking about his performance is that if you close your eyes, he sounds exactly like Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007).  The similarities to the Andrew Dominik-directed drama do not end there as Old Henry, while not reaching the same vibrancy in the night scenes as Roger Deakins did for Dominik, John Matysiak brings forth a lot of beautiful imagery with his camera work.  We often find ourselves peering through the golden, waving grasses, and later in the final shootout as the two parties are dodging in and out behind the trees, we are fully enraptured by the image on screen because what is in focus is just as important as what lies just right outside of our view. 

It is not just Haze’s performance that will be audibly reminiscent, but Jordan Lehning’s score is clearly influenced by the great scores of equally methodical and personal-staked westerns.  His themes may not bring anything that could be seen as revolutionary to the genre already inhabited by some of the top caliber composers currently working, but he understands the power of music and delivers a very strong and evocative score to the film that deals with so many understated stakes.  What is less subtle is the end credits song “My Son” performed by Eddie Montgomery, which is lacking any shred of nuance which would make it the perfect candidate for an Original Song nomination had Shout! Factory actually tried to platform this release instead of burying it with no marketing and going VOD after gracing as few as 30 screens nationwide. 

Old Henry, however, is far better than its “direct to dvd” style release may lead you to believe.  With strong core performances and a truly beautiful story of one weathered farmer’s dream of redemption through raising his son to be an upstanding young man, the themes are certain to hit home and tug on the heartstrings without ever being overly manipulative.  Ponciroli, while standing on the shoulders of giants, takes a revisionist approach to these stories that have become synonymous with our Hollywood understanding of the Old West and in doing so creates one of the true hidden gems of 2021.