Westender is, if nothing else, a showcase for some of the nicer scenery of the state of Oregon. As an Oregonian I can appreciate that. We've got some nice rain forests and some breathtaking deserts. It's a nice state to visit, but for God's sake don't come here to make a movie. Seriously, we're the kiss of death for just about any movie that is filmed here. I wish I could be more supportive of my state and say otherwise, but the evidence is piled too high so I've got to be honest about it. Movies made in Oregon, even in part, face some serious problems. Westender is a good example of that. It has some great location shots and the director has a talent for framing a pretty scene, but the film just cannot manage to rise above feeling like an end-of-term film school project. The story is pretty straight forward: a downtrodden warrior named Asbrey thoughtlessly gambles away a ring that belonged to a lost love. When he comes to his senses he pursues the man who won it and in the process gets caught up chasing a band of slavers. Simple enough, except that the protagonist is also prone to hallucinations, bizarre dreams, and fits of madness. Don't get the idea that this is an action movie, by any means, but it's more a journey through the protagonist's soul. And since the story is told from his perspective it is all too easily led astray, wandering off on tangents that hint at his past and his motivations, but never tells you enough to make much sense. Supporting characters occasionally show up, hoping to help ground Asbrey and help to provide some means by which he could be better understood, but they are all to easily discarded. And so without any anchor, Asbrey spends way too much time wandering about in a stupor, taking the audience on a journey that makes sense in the end but is too long and too dull in the process.
Review of Westender
