As fans of his know, Nic Cage never stops working, ever. The indefatigable actor shot has six movies with 2023 release dates this year, with two already in the can for next year. And now here’s one from last year that premiered at TIFF finally hitting theaters: “Butcher’s Crossing,” an adaptation of John Williams‘ revered Western novel of the same name.
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And while Cage isn’t a stranger to the Western genre (he recently starred in another one, “The Old Ways,”) fans of the actors should take notice for this film. Williams’ novel is nothing short of excellent, and Cage plays the story’s most intriguing charater, a frontiersman who promises a young Harvard graduate set on staking his claim of the American frontier more than he could possibly imagine.
Here’s an official synopsis for “Butcher’s Crossing,” courtesy of Saban Films:
Based on the seminal novel by John Edward Williams, Gabe Polsky’s epic frontier adventure, Butcher’s Crossing, is a riveting commentary on human nature, ambition, masculinity, and man’s relationship to his natural environment. Academy Award™ winner Nicolas Cage (1996, Best Actor, Leaving Las Vegas) stars in a gritty story about buffalo hunters in the Old West. Will Andrews has left Harvard to find adventure. He teams up with Miller, a mysterious frontiersman offering an unprecedented number of buffalo pelts in a secluded valley. Their crew must survive an arduous journey where the harsh elements will test everyone’s resolve, leaving their sanity on a knife’s edge.
“Butcher’s Crossing” also stars Fred Hechinger, Rachel Keller, Paul Raci, and Xander Berkley. Jeremy Bobb rounds out the main cast.
As noted in the synopsis, Gabe Polsky directs the film, and co-adapts Williams’ novel for the screen with Liam Satre-Meloy. “Butcher’s Crossing” had its world premiere at TIFF last year. The Playlist’s review grades it a B, calling it “a gorgeous travelog [and] also a warning about what happens when people fail to tread lightly in the natural world.”
Will Polsky’s take on Williams’ novel live up to the book’s sterling reputation? Find out when “Butcher’s Crossing” hits theaters on October 20. Watch a trailer for the film below.