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THE CLAIM Send This Review to a Friend
The year is 1867, the place the California of the Old West, more specifically a town called Kingdom Come, product of the Gold Rush, and a bitter, guilty secret is buried in the rise to riches and power of Daniel Dillon, a pioneer who has made it big from his modest initial claim. We know where he got his stake. In the bitter cold, when he might have been at the end of the trail, he sold his wife and daughter to a prospector in need of a woman.
What makes "The Claim" an unusual western is its atmosphere, akin to the sort of gritty mood found in Robert Altman's memorable "McCabe and Mrs. Miller." Frank Cottrell Boyce has written a script inspired by Thomas Hardy's "The Mayor of Casterbridge," with the action transferred to California and the traditional milieu of movie westerns. Adding to the quality is the extraordinary cinematography of Alwin Kuchler. British director Michael Winterbottom, bringing a foreign perspective to the material, creates a fresh view of American lore.
Scottish actor Peter Mullan, so good in the Ken Loach film "My Name Is Joe," turns in a strong performance as Dillon, thereby making it believable that he could have survived the terrible weather and had the stamina to get where he is. The basic conflict and confrontation involves his wife Elena (Nastassja Kinski) and grown daughter Hope (Sarah Polley), who show up years after they were traded. Elena has a fatal illness and she is concerned about the future of her daughter. The women could prove the undoing of Dillon, who literally owns the town, the future of which depends on what happens with plans to expand the Central Pacific Railroad. Dillon has a relationship with Milla Jovovich as Lucia, who owns the local whorehouse.
Thus there is the setup for the stuff of which good westerns are made, and 'The Claim" fills the bill with adventure, personal drama and residue from the past. The atmosphere is realistic, and although the ending is melodramatic, the story has the emotional power that comes from dealing with gnawing issues that haunt its leading characters. A United Artists release.
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