Amelia

2025 Lionsgate

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 47min

Crime ~ Drama ~ Thriller ~ Neo-Western

Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser, Halsey, Eric Dane, Zahn McClarnon and Simon Rex.

Welcome To The New West

Cal Starr (Luke David Blumm) is a young boy in small-town South Dakota, deeply obsessed with Native American culture and convinced he’s the reincarnation of Sitting Bull. His older sister, Mandy (Halsey), is trapped in a toxic relationship with the abusive Dillon MacIntosh (Eric Dane). When Dillon steals a priceless Lakota ghost shirt and stashes it at home, Mandy sees an opportunity to escape her circumstances. After a violent confrontation, Mandy attacks Dillon with a hammer and attempts to flee with both Cal and the artifact, only to have Cal refuse, determined to fulfill what he sees as his spiritual destiny.

In the days leading up to this moment, down-on-his-luck veteran Lefty Ledbetter (Paul Walter Hauser) befriends shy waitress Penny Jo Poplin (Sydney Sweeney), who dreams of country music stardom. Their lives entwine when Penny finds a mysterious note about a high-stakes deal involving the valuable ghost shirt. The item is at the center of a tangled plot involving Dillon, his partner Fun Dave, and shady antiques dealer Roy Lee Dean (Simon Rex), who traffics in stolen Native artifacts. The shirt’s theft sets off a violent chain reaction as several parties, including Lefty and Penny, race to find it first, drawn inexorably into the Starr family’s dark world of criminality and cult-like control.

As Mandy brings the ghost shirt back to her family’s compound, ruled by her sadistic father Hiram, the scene explodes into chaos. Lefty is captured trying to rescue Penny, who becomes caught between factions. When a Native American radical group led by Ghost Eye (Zahn McClarnon) descends on the compound to reclaim their sacred artifact, a fierce standoff erupts into a western style shootout.

In Americana the Lakota ghost shirt is more than just a rare artifact, it is a living symbol of spiritual hope and cultural identity. Rooted in the Ghost Dance religion of the late 19th century, ghost shirts were believed to carry sacred protective powers, shielding the wearer from bullets and harm during violent confrontations. This belief stemmed from the desperate need among Native American tribes like the Lakota to find strength and protection amid brutal oppression and the threat of cultural extinction. The shirts themselves were traditionally decorated with powerful symbols drawn from nature and the cosmos, such as eagles, stars, and the sacred pipe, each holding deep spiritual meaning.

The film weaves this symbolism into the narrative, making the ghost shirt a powerful but contested icon. Its value extends beyond monetary worth to embody the enduring resilience, spiritual connection, and identity of the Lakota people. Throughout the story, the artifact’s journey serves as a metaphor for struggles over cultural survival and restitution, highlighting how such relics carry the hopes of entire communities and the scars of historical injustice. The tension over the ghost shirt represents both personal desperation and a wider fight to preserve indigenous heritage in a world often indifferent to it.

Americana explores the lives intersecting around this sacred object. Sydney Sweeney portrays Penny Jo Poplin with a mix of vulnerability and determination, capturing the essence of a shy waitress chasing big dreams amid chaos. Paul Walter Hauser’s turn as the lovelorn veteran Lefty brings a touch of awkward humanity and warmth to the gritty narrative. Halsey impresses as Mandy, a desperate woman running from a dark past, delivering a raw and compelling intensity. Eric Dane’s ruthless, menacing portrayal of Dillon MacIntosh adds the edge to the film’s tension. The supporting cast, including Zahn McClarnon and Simon Rex, bring vibrant layers to this modern Western ensemble, helping to ground the film’s complex interwoven stories in this gritty, modern Western Crime Thriller.

2021 Neon

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 32min

Drama ~ Mystery ~ Thriller

Directed by: Michael Sarnoski

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff and Adam Arkin.

We don’t get a lot of things to really care about.

Rob (Nicolas Cage) lives in the quiet solitude of the Oregon wilderness, making his living by hunting truffles with his cherished pig. His reclusive routine reflects a life defined by loss, and his only connection to the outside world is through Amir (Alex Wolff), a young supplier who buys truffles from him regularly. Everything changes overnight when Rob’s pig is kidnapped, shattering his sense of purpose and tranquility.

With Amir reluctantly helping, Rob ventures into Portland, dredging up memories and people from a past he tried to leave behind, all while tracking down his lost companion. Their search leads them through the city’s culinary scene and reveals Rob’s former identity as a prominent chef. Adam Arkin plays Darius, a key figure Rob confronts as he delves deeper into the world he abandoned and faces unresolved emotional wounds.

Throughout the journey, Rob’s bond with Amir grows, and the film explores themes of grief, connection, and what truly matters. The story is a heartfelt reflection on loss and resilience, focusing on character and emotion rather than action or violence. Nicolas Cage is the only actor who could have pulled off this role and movie, and made it as engaging, entertaining and thought provoking as he did.

He delivers a restrained, powerful, and deeply emotional performance in Pig playing Rob, a former renowned chef turned truffle hunter. His portrayal is marked by an unusually quiet subtlety, focusing more on internal pain and grief than his signature explosive style. Cage captures Rob’s trauma and vulnerability through silence, minimal dialogue, and authentic expressions of sorrow, making the character believable and sympathetic even as he remains initially closed-off and mysterious.

Instead of the wild energy or eccentricities often associated with Cage, here he embodies a literal Grizzly Adams, a man defined by tragic loss and a longing for meaning. His interactions, especially in tense or emotional moments, come alive with small gestures and raw honesty rather than outbursts. Cage only occasionally allows the grief and anger to break through, using these rare moments to leave a lasting impact on the audience.

I would have to put this role up there as one of Cage’s very best, comparing it to his Oscar-winning turn in Leaving Las Vegas. He turns in a “career-best” performance, commanding scenes with quiet authority and making Rob’s journey believable and moving. The character’s emotional journey is nuanced, conveying not just bitterness and sadness, but also resilience and depth.

Cage’s approach helps the film avoid a typical revenge narrative, focusing instead on themes of forgiveness, acceptance, and personal loss. His performance anchors the film’s reflective, character-driven tone, and allows us to feel Rob’s journey of grief, recovery, and hope, making Pig both a standout in his filmography and as a fan favorite.