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Meek's Cutoff

Play trailer Poster for Meek's Cutoff PG Released Apr 8, 2011 1h 41m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 136 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
During the 1840s, six settlers and their guide are caught in a dangerous situation: They are lost, food and water are running out, and the surrounding desert threatens to claim them all. Meanwhile, their guide, Stephen Meek (Bruce Greenwood), refuses to acknowledge that they may be several weeks off-course. When a Native American (Rod Rondeaux) is captured, Emily Tetherow (Michelle Williams), one of the settlers, shields him from Meek's wrath, and he offers to lead the group to water in return.
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Meek's Cutoff

Meek's Cutoff

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Critics Consensus

Moving at a contemplative speed unseen in most westerns, Meek's Cutoff is an effective, intense journey of terror and survival in the untamed frontier.

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Critics Reviews

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Jim Schembri The Age (Australia) Michelle Williams is now the only Dawson's Creek cast member with a chat-worthy film career. Rated: 3.5/5 Jun 16, 2011 Full Review Ben Sachs Chicago Reader Imagine a collaboration between John Ford and Wallace Stevens and you might get a sense of what Kelly Reichardt pulls off here: a sincere re-creation of the pioneer experience, brought to life through careful, often unexpected detail. May 27, 2011 Full Review Bill Goodykoontz Arizona Republic Greatly enhanced by the performances of Michelle Williams and Bruce Greenwood, director Kelly Reichardt's film quietly becomes engrossing - it almost sneaks up on you. Rated: 4/5 May 26, 2011 Full Review David Griffiths Subculture Entertainment Meek’s Cutoff shows that are still some creative films that can surface from the U.S. and only proves the fact that Kelly Reichardt is one of the most important filmmakers of our generation. Rated: 4/5 Oct 29, 2024 Full Review Sarah Vincent Sarah G Vincent Views Reichardt is less interested in recreation than exploring how gender, race and relationships influence power dynamics in a vacuum, a wasteland, where survival should be the only goal. The events in the film feel more like a reimagining of untold history Jun 9, 2024 Full Review Marya E. Gates Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack) The end of this film is one of my favorites in all cinema, showing that filmmakers do not owe audiences a tidy bow at the end of their films. Feb 13, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (498) audience reviews
Sam S What a pretentious, boring POS. Sat through it waiting for the payoff at the end, and OMG zilch. No resolution. Note to myself: Never, ever sit through another movie by Kelly Reichardt. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 12/04/24 Full Review NANCY N Without question one of the top 5 worst movies I have ever watched. Horrible. Tedious. Without any redeeming qualities. Like it was made by a 9th grade theater arts class. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 09/17/24 Full Review steve w I SAT THROUGH THE SLOWEST MOVING SCRIPT, INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE EVEN WITH CLOSED CAPTION WHICH WORKED SPORADICALLY. I TOLD MYSELF, OKAY THIS IS A VERY DIFFERENT WESTERN, BUT WE, THE AUDIENCE, WILL PROBABLY GET A 'COSMIC' ENDING. BUT NO!!!! IT ENDS WITHOUT ANY REAL CONCLUSION. REMINDS ME OF MY COLLEGE DAYS WHEN I WOULD FAWN OVER ANY FOREIGN FILM. WHAT DID I KNOW? Rated 1 out of 5 stars 09/30/23 Full Review Brian B The acting was well done but there is no ending at all. Its like the movie just stops short of any type of ending. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/29/23 Full Review Audience Member I watched all of it but I have to say quite boring. I have trouble recommending this one but hey try it if you like James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas June 14, 2023. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/14/23 Full Review Ola G A small group of settlers travelling across the Oregon High Desert in 1845 suspect that their guide, Stephen Meek, may not know the area well enough to plot a safe and certain route. A journey that was supposed to take two weeks, via what became known as the Meek Cutoff, stretches into five. With no clear sense of where they are going, tensions rise as water and food run low. The wives look on, unable to participate in the decision making, as their husbands discuss how long they should continue to follow Meek. The dynamics of power shift when they capture a lone native and hold him in the hope he will lead them to a source of water, despite Meek's wish to kill him at once. Meek argues that the native cannot be trusted, but the group by now have no confidence in Meek... Rotten Tomatoes consensus was, "Moving at a contemplative speed unseen in most westerns, Meek's Cutoff is an effective, intense journey of terror and survival in the untamed frontier." The story is loosely based on a historical incident on the Oregon Trail in 1845, in which frontier guide Stephen Meek led a wagon train on an ill-fated journey through the Oregon desert along the route later known as the Meek Cutoff in the western United States. "Meek´s Cutoff" is numbingly boring, missing all marks in terms of tension and drama, despite having very nice cinematography displaying a lovely landscape and an ok ensemble cast. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Meek's Cutoff

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Movie Info

Synopsis During the 1840s, six settlers and their guide are caught in a dangerous situation: They are lost, food and water are running out, and the surrounding desert threatens to claim them all. Meanwhile, their guide, Stephen Meek (Bruce Greenwood), refuses to acknowledge that they may be several weeks off-course. When a Native American (Rod Rondeaux) is captured, Emily Tetherow (Michelle Williams), one of the settlers, shields him from Meek's wrath, and he offers to lead the group to water in return.
Director
Kelly Reichardt
Producer
Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani, Elizabeth Cuthrell, David Urrutia
Screenwriter
Jonathan Raymond
Distributor
Oscilloscope Pictures
Production Co
Film Science, Harmon Productions
Rating
PG (Smoking|Brief Language|Some Mild Violent Content)
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 8, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 24, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$977.6K
Runtime
1h 41m
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