5 reasons you might like The Thicket (2024)

The Thicket is a 2024 film directed by Elliott Lester and written by Chris Kelley. It’s an adaption of Joe Lansdale’s 2014 novel of the same name and follows Jack Parker as he searches for his sister Lula after she’s taken prisoner by the notorious outlaw Cut-Throat Bill.

I’m Jason Kleeberg and this is Force Five, and today I’m going to give you five reasons you might want to watch The Thicket.

Reason number 5, if you like Snowy westerns like The Hateful Eight or The Great Silence, this may scratch that itch. It’s set in the midwest in what I think is the very early 1900’s and it certainly looks the part. I know it was shot in the Alberta, Canada rockies and certainly captures the gritty, cold landscape in all of its glory. This is not a bright, happy film - it’s rugged and raw, and also invokes the spirit of grimy westerns like The Proposition.

Reason number 4, this one might seem obvious but if you’re a fan of the book, why not give this one a try? Now, here’s the thing - I haven’t read the book, and I know there are a lot of people online giving the film gruff for changing aspects, but if you’re a fan of the source material I think it’s always worth it to see the adaptation, if just to think about why they changed certain things for the screen. I have seen most people saying the book is even better than the movie, so if you see The Thicket and like it, definitely check out the book.

Reason number 3, one of my favorite actors, Peter Dinklage has a starring role as Reginald Jones, a bounty hunter who reluctantly helps Jack in hunting down Cut Throat Bill. He’s always great and it’s no different here. I was specifically moved by a late conversation he has with his partner, Eustace Howard and while I won’t give the context of the situation due to spoilers, Jones is heartbroken that Eustace won’t be coming with him to Montana and the emotion is really thick in that scene. Eustace is played by, and I know I’m going to butcher this so bear with me, Benga Akinnabe, who I think a lot of people would know as Chris Partlow from The Wire and it was cool seeing him here.

Reason number 2, if you’re a fan of Metallica, James Hetfield is in the cast. Hetfield is the lead singer and guitarist for the band and I’m sure 99% of people watching this know that he is regarded as one of the best musicians of all time, and you don’t get many chances to see him act. He’s done some voice work, he played himself in an episode of Billions and recently he’s been in a few films like Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile and The Darwin Awards, so hopefully he shows up in things more often.

Reason number 1, if nothing else it’s worth watching this film to see Juliette Lewis play Cut Throat Bill. She replaced Noomi Rapace when shooting was interrupted by the COVID 19 pandemic and she’s so much fun to watch as this ruthless outlaw. The opening scene sees her blazing through the snowy plains on a motorcycle to get to a coffin opening where she steals a jacket without words, but once she takes off her mask and reveals her scarred face and then opens her mouth, Juliette Lewis is hamming it up every second of this one. You can tell she was having fun playing the cold blooded villain.

If any of those reasons appeal to you, check out The Thicket. Umbrella put this out on Blu-ray and it’s region free, but if you want to check it out before you purchase, I watched it on Tubi. If you’ve already seen The Thicket, what did you think? Is it better than the book?  Let me know in the comments below or email me at forcefivepodcast@gmail.com.