Meek's Cutoff

PG

Released Apr 8, 2011

1 hr. 41 min.

Western

List

86%

134 Reviews

Tomatometer

53%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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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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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

Lon A

Really slow, nonsensical, I watched the whole movie waiting for something to happen and nothing. I don't know how anyone could rate this movie highly 🙄

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/01/23

Full Review

matthew d

Unbearably slow moving with little character development and an abrupt ending. Director Kelly Reichardt's indie Western drama Meek's Cutoff (2010) is unfortunately quite boring. I loved Reichardt's indie drama film First Cow, but Meek's Cutoff is a colossal misfire. There's hardly any dialogue and it's nearly entirely slow walking along the Oregon Trail to the area now referred to as Meek's Cutoff. Reichardt never lets us get to know any of the characters and just ends the movie on an ambiguous ending. Reichardt can make a short 104 minute movie feel like 3 hours with her mind numbingly slow pace that never really engages you. What a disappointment. Jonathan Raymond's writing is not much to speak of with superstitious, paranoid, ignorant, and racist main characters that wastes the immense talent of Reichardt's cast. Clearly the small budget fits Reichardt's minimalist style as director, but the true story had 100 wagons, and not 3 and they even live after 25 deaths. Meek's Cutoff seems more fatalistic and hopeless with a considerably smaller scale. At least cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt's daylight wide shots are very pretty and pan smoothly across the stunning landscape. I hated the indecipherable nighttime scenes, totally in the dark. You cannot see anything for half the movie. Michelle Williams is easily the best part of Meek's Cutoff. Her healthy skepticism of Bruce Greenwood's funny liar guide Stephen Meek is very smart. My favorite scene is when Williams finally draws a rifle on Meek after his bloodthirsty violent approach to the Native man. She feels brave, empathetic, and smart in Meek's Cutoff. Michelle Williams is acting above the rest here with a nuanced and mature performance. Will Patton's doubtful husband character is just as foolish as Paul Dano and Neal Huff's ignorant travelers for trusting Meek. Zoe Kazan's hysterics at being lost and possibly pursued is at least funny as Millie. Shirley Henderson's weary and paranoid wife Glory is entertaining. Rod Rondeaux's steadfast Native guide feels intelligent, but I wish he had a bigger role. Production designer David Doernberg's wooden wagons, woven blanket, and old rifles are neat like all the animals. Kat Uhlmansiek's art direction is pretty in framing with endless expanses of desert, but the dark nighttime scenes look awful. Composer Jeff Grace's film score is hardly audible, so I'm not sure what he contributed to the movie. It's nearly all ambient desert noises from the sound designers. Sound designers Javier Bennassar and Leslie Shatz have such poor sound mixing that you can hardly hear what anyone says. There should have been subtitles for the Native American, so that the audience at least knew what he was saying for some fun. I cannot believe that everyone nearly whispers every line of dialogue. Several poor choices on Kelly Reichardt's part. Costume designer Vicki Farrell creates a few cute and colorful sundresses for the actresses and plain pilgrim outfits for the men. I liked Meek's tan ensemble like the Native man's gear. The natural make-up from artists Leo Won and Linda Andrews looks real and grimy. I liked their long hair and beard for Meek. In short, Meek's Cutoff is probably a movie most viewers will hate with a languid pace and little story or emotion. This could have been so much better.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Kelly Reichardt

Director

Michelle Williams

Emily Tetherow

Bruce Greenwood

Stephen Meek

Will Patton

Solomon Tetherow

Zoe Kazan

Millie Gately

Paul Dano

Thomas Gately

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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

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

George Elkind

Metro Times (Detroit, MI)

Reichardt finds cracks in foundational American imagery by calling attention to its roots in shaky ground.

Mar 3, 2023

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Reichardt certainly doesn’t romanticize the American frontier life, instead creating one of the most genuine portrayals of the hardships and struggles that faced the settlers in the new territory.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 24, 2022

Full Review

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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
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

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