The Gunfighter [Kissack, USA, 2014]
Genre: The Gunfighter is a clear, typical western genre film. It conforms to the majority of western genre conventions through the use of mise-en-scene; a saloon, cowboy costumes, guns etc. It's language and character types are very familiar and predictable which enhances its conformity to the genre. The characters include the female prostitute, Sally, the Henderson brothers and the Gunfighter. It can be argued that the Gunfighter can be seen as the anti-hero as we learn he has previously killed children, which positions him as a subversion of the usual heroic white male protagonist audience members come to expect when watching a western. Moreover, the film as a whole can be seen as a subversion also but shares a similar take on what modern westerns project.
Narration: The narrator (Nick Offerman) is conveyed as actual character through the film's clear linear structure, often referred to as 'that voice'. It is also non-diegetic which can be viewed as somewhat unusual, evoking an enigma code; how are the characters hearing it? The purpose of the narrative voice in this case is to drive conflict between characters by verbalising their thoughts, this conflict is demonstrated through the whip pan of the characters taking out their guns which is formulaic and a fixed shot in a western. Once this conflict is set up, it has to be resolved and it is as they unfortunately al fall victim to a gunfight. Although, it is not all resolved as Sally remains alive but the narrative voice tells us she will experience death the next day by being mauled to death by a bear.
Key elements: There is a use of lighting to put the Gunfighter in the spotlight which positions him as the clear protagonist, highlighting his importance against the other characters. As well as this, the music for the majority is non-diegetic. At the start when the Gunfighter walks into the bar, the music connotes tension and increases the suspense and the syncronised music underscores the emotional intent of the scene. As previously mentioned, the whip pan of the guns being pulled out reinforces the fixed/formulaic elements of the genre and again, non-diegetic sound is introduced here.
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