Chicago Film Festival: The Ballad of Lefty Brown

Bill Pullman in The Ballad of Lefty Brown. Courtesy of A24 Films.

The Ballad of Lefty Brown shows that the western isn’t dead and gives actor Bill Pullman a showcase role in the thriller.

Written and directed by Jared Moshé, Pullman leads a cast that includes Bill Pullman, Kathy Baker, Jim Caviezel, Joe Anderson, Diego Josef, Tommy Flanagan and Peter Fonda.

Edward Johnson (Fonda) gets elected as a senator of Montana and Lefty Brown (Pullman) is by his side when he’s shot to death.  Nobody ever takes Brown–a sidekick for his entire life–seriously, not even Johnson’s wife, Laura (Baker), so he decides to take it upon himself to find the the man (Anderson) who killed his partner.  He picks up Jeremiah Perkins (Josef) in the process and recruits U.S. Marshall Tom Harrah (Flanagan) to get justice for Eddie.

Montana Governor James Bierce (Jim Caviezel) has his own agenda and refuses to help Lefty, who is now accused of killing his longtime partner.  Wrongfully accused, Lefty seeks out to clear his name with the help of the only friends willing to listen to him.

The Ballad of Lefty Brown, which premiered at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival, will screen tonight as a special presentation of the Chicago International Film Festival.  A24 and DirecTV will release the film exclusively on DirecTV starting November 9 before a theatrical roll-out begins on December 15, 2017.

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.

One thought on “Chicago Film Festival: The Ballad of Lefty Brown

  1. One of the best Westerns since Unforgiven (1992). A Must watch for the Nostalgic western fan. A masterful performance by all cast headed by Bill Pullman. One not to be missed Don’t wait till later go watch it now!

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