MovieChat Forums > The Sisters Brothers (2018) Discussion > Good movie...didn't much like the third ...

Good movie...didn't much like the third act though (spoilers)

posted 6 years ago by Jehosaphet (1063)
8 replies | jump to latest

It seemed like it took a bit to get going, but this movie suddenly ended up being one that I found myself completely invested in. Great acting, fleshed-out characters, good dynamics between them and a compelling story.
It seemed like it was building up to something...and I derived a lot of enjoyment from the anticipation of what was going to happen when shit hit the fan. And judging from the rave reviews, maybe its just me...but it seemed to kind of just...peter out, I guess.

There didn't seem to be much, if any, of a peak. No real show-down, no real finale. Two of them burned to death (well, one suicided from the burns), the brothers head to town for an amputation, fend off a few bounty hunters before riding off to go kill the commandant. Well dangit, the commandant's already dead, so...whelp, let's go say howdy to Mom. Ah its good to be back home. The end.

Maybe there's a theme I'm missing or something, but it feels like the movie left us hanging. How much gold did they end up collecting? What about all the stuff they took from Mayfield's safe? Are they rich?
Did anything positive come from Joaquin suddenly going apeshit and pouring the sauce out like he did? Did the resulting deaths mean anything? Did they change Joaquin somehow?

Two great people died as a result of his actions and it'd have been nice if the movie wrapped that up somehow, gave us some kind of indication of what kind of affect that had on the characters, how it affected them. Any kind of resolution at all, really.

Ah, I just spent most of the movie waiting for something somewhat epic to happen, some final confrontation or something...and then just got a series of events that resulted in them returning to Mom. Anyone see what it is that I missed?
Most of the movie was great...then ended up a bit unsatisfying IMO.

[–] tbone382001 (220) 6 years ago

I agree 100% with what you wrote. They had to be loaded from what they took out of the safe and the gold they had. I'm thinking why didn't they hire their own men to go with them to kill the big C.

They really could have made a much better ending. A nice battle and then as you said, show the affect it had on Joaquin. It was worth the watch but could have been better.

[–] Tyalt (306) 6 years ago

I think Eli (Reilly) wanted to be the one to kill the Commodore since he failed to be the one to kill their father.

[–] looper007 (1158) 6 years ago

That's what I loved about it the third act and it felt different. The way Jake Gyllenhall and Riz Ahmed's character's die of burns over such a stupid thing, no heroic ending with them all going to meet their fate going to face Hauer and his posse, in any other director's hands that would have happened. Gyllenhall goes out shooting himself cause he's basically dying and poor Ahmed goes out thinking his friend is still alive. It was such a sad ending for them two.

Phoenix losing his arm in the process and basically killing the two others. Sort of redeems him in a way. The Big shootdown, C.Reilly is all but ready to accept his fate but as he arrives he finds out Rutger Hauer is dead lol. It's darkly funny in a way. I love that the C.Reilly has pretty much wiped out Hauer's gang and I assumed that Hauer did himself in cause he knew the Sister brothers were coming for him. At the end both decide to go home to their mother (Carol Kane) and settle down and not go back to their old ways.

I loved this, way better then it's 7 rating on IMDB, I go for a 7.7 at best. Loved it, felt different to so many westerns that come before it. As it felt like a Anti Western in a way. I can see why it probably won't please some. I though John C. Reilly delivered his best performance in years. Phoenix is always great. Fair play to Gyllenhaal and Ahmed putting two good performances in smaller roles and delivering a lot of heart to their roles, when their deaths come you actually feel it. Very good western imo.

[–] Jehosaphet (1063) 6 years ago

Well stated opinion...and thanks for it, has left me with a bit better of a taste in my mouth re this movie. Good perspective.

[–] yatzo376 (7753) 6 years ago

Agreed , but it still impressed me . Loved the music!

[–] sslssg (35200) 6 years ago

I haven't seen the movie yet, so I don't know how much it differs from the book, but they don't get to keep any of the gold as the natives took that. Then when they go back to Mayfield's stash, the place has been burnt down and all the loot they stashed was gone. When they get home to their place, it's been ransacked and their savings were taken by Rex. Eli did kill the Commodore while he was in the bathtub, and then they went back to their mother's. Is that somewhat how the movie ended?

[–] JMWick (229) 6 years ago

Close, they go to kill the Commodore and he is already dead. Eli is pissed and shoots his corpse and then they go to their mother's just like the book.

[–] 2coolhipdude (120) 6 years ago

Well, nothing you said happens in the movie. So I'm assuming the film is nothing like the book. As for the other comment about Eli shooting the Commodore to make sure he's dead, lol, he just punches him in the coffin.
As for the film itself, I gave it a 5/10. It's one of the film's, that when you're watching it, you ask yourself; why did they make this film? It's pointless. You're an hour in before anything interesting happens. I went into this movie thinking it was an Adventure/Comedy. I chuckled once. And that was at the very end when the mother tells Charlie he's missing something.