Once the colossal tentpole of American cinema, the Western has gradually faded into the background of the cinematic landscape, eclipsed by superhero spectacles, franchises, and an endless barrage of remakes and sequels. With his debut feature, Americana, Tony Tost asks if the Western still has a place in modern cinema.
Americana unfolds around an eccentric ensemble of characters, all ill-fatedly connected to a rare Native American Lakota Ghost Shirt that surfaces on the black market in a small South Dakota town. At the centre is Lefty Ledbetter (Paul Walter Hauser), a soft-hearted, unlucky-in-love military veteran who finds purpose in helping Penny Jo Poplin (Sydney Sweeney), a stuttering local waitress with dreams of escaping to Nashville to become a country music star. Lefty overhears a plan between Dillon Macintosh (Eric Dane), a small-time criminal, who is hired to steal Native American artefacts and Roy Lee Dean (Simon Rex), a slippery and morally bankrupt antiquities dealer who traffics in the looted relics of Indigenous history for profit, and plans to intercept the money.
Dillon’s girlfriend, Mandy Star (Halsey), is desperate to break free from both her relationship and the dead-end life she’s been handed. Mandy whacks Dillion over the head with a hammer and makes off with the Lakota Ghost Shirt for herself, formulating her own plan to make a deal with Roy for a share of the money. Meanwhile, her young son Cal (Gavin Maddox Bergman) comes to believe he is the reincarnation of Chief Sitting Bull. This conviction drives him to a local militant Native American group led by a radical figure named Ghost Eye (Zahn McClarnon), who he believes is the rightful owner of the stolen Lakota Ghost Shirt.
Tost presents his story as a series of misadventures, structured in a fragmented, episodic style reminiscent of the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men and Fargo. The narrative unfolds through a mosaic of loosely connected characters, each operating with partial knowledge of the broader picture. As the audience, we are privy to the full, often ironic, scope of events, which Tost reveals gradually, crafting his characters as the narrative unfolds. This dramatic irony generates tension and dark humour, as characters pursue their conflicting goals, unaware of how their paths are destined to collide.
By weaving together themes of cultural appropriation with familiar Western tropes, Americana crafts a reimagined genre saga that feels attuned to the cultural and political tensions of the present day. The twisty path the film creates for its ensemble ultimately leads to a good old-fashioned shootout, which becomes a climactic homage to the genre’s roots, where the characters confront their frustrations in the landscape of the Wild West. It’s exciting to see a beloved genre revived with energy and purpose, finding new relevance in the modern cinematic landscape. In excavating and recontextualising these tropes, Tost reveals himself to be a filmmaker with intelligence and clear intent.
However, at times, the characters are a little more vivid than necessary. Sweeney’s mild-mannered stammer, Halsey’s Joan Jett-inspired styling, and Hauser’s romantic daydreams of being a “happy husband to a happy wife” occasionally feel too exaggerated to ring true. These eccentricities become distracting, and while each character is interesting in isolation, the film struggles to give them all adequate space. As the story builds toward its climax, their individual arcs begin to feel rushed and underdeveloped, leaving some of their early promise unexplored.
Americana is a mixed bag, but extremely fun to follow along with. The stacked ensemble cast keeps things interesting when the film occasionally veers off course, getting momentum back in the saddle with a range of lively performances. Particular recognition goes to Halsey and Zahn McClarnon. Although she’s better known for her music, Halsey shows real potential as an actor, delivering a performance that suggests a promising screen career ahead, and it’s great to see a wonderful character actor like Zahn McClarnon with a substantial role at the forefront of this film.
★★★
On digital download now / Sydney Sweeny, Paul Walter Hauser, Halsey, Zahn McClarnon, Simon Rex / Dir: Tony Tost / Lionsgate / 15
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