Good for Nothing (2011 film)
Good for Nothing is a 2011 New Zealand-made Western film starring Inge Rademeyer and Cohen Holloway, and directed by Mike Wallis. The film along with director Mike Wallis has been included in Leonard Maltin’s ‘Fifty Notable Debut Features of the Past Twenty Years’ list in The New York Times bestseller – Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide. [1] The film premiered at the Santa Barbara Film Festival on January 29, 2011.[2]
| Good for Nothing | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mike Wallis |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Mike Wallis |
| Starring |
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| Music by | John Psathas |
| Cinematography | Mathew Knight |
| Edited by | Greg Daniels |
Production company | Mi Films |
| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $186,119 |
Plot
Isabella Montgomery, a proper English woman, must go to her uncle's ranch in the American West after the death of her father. While being escorted to the ranch by workers from the ranch, she is kidnapped by an outlaw. The outlaw tries to rape her but experiences erectile dysfunction and goes into town, leaving Isabella tied up. The outlaw is unsuccessful in finding a solution for his problem, so after shooting several people, he discovers Isabella has escaped and come into town, and leaves with her. The townspeople assumed because of her tattered clothes that Isabella was a prostitute. A posse is formed to capture the outlaw and Isabella, with a bonus for capturing Isabella. The outlaw visits a Chinese mining camp and a Native American medicine man. Over time, the outlaw and Isabella develop feelings for each other. The posse catches up to them, but their leader dies in a shootout, the outlaw has disappeared, and the others decide they won't get paid and decide to rape Isabella. The outlaw comes out of hiding and shoots the others and delivers Isabella to her destination.
Cast
- Cohen Holloway as The Man
- Inge Rademeyer as Isabella Montgomery
- Jon Pheloung as The Sheriff
- Toa Waaka as Native American Medicine Man
Reception
Andy Webster of The New York Times called the movie "a slender movie of humble, welcome charms", and said first-time director Mike Wallis used the scenery of New Zealand to "maximum advantage". He pointed out that while the movie appears to promise romance, it is not "predictable".[3]
Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter said it was "a promising first feature effort" that was like "a Kiwi spaghetti western filtered through the offbeat sensibilities of early Sam Raimi or the Coen brothers". [4]
John Anderson from Variety said it has "a tone so deadpan it becomes laugh-out-loud funny" and it is "a winning balance of humor and pluck". He criticized its US release by saying that "Proper positioning might have won the film a better theatrical shot, and perhaps even a cult following. But a robust afterlife should follow its limited opening."[5]
References
- Maltin, Leonard (2013). Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide (2013 ed.). Plume; 1 Original edition (August 29, 2012). p. xiii. ISBN 978-0452298545.
- https://www.independent.com/2011/01/28/good-nothing/
- Webster, Andy (9 March 2012). "An Impotent Outlaw in the American West". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- Michael Rechtshaffen (4 February 2011). "Good for Nothing -- Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- John Anderson. "Good for Nothing - Variety". Variety.