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5.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Brand of Hate remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Look, if you are looking for a complex, modern thriller, you should probably walk away now. The Brand of Hate is the kind of movie that feels like it was put together on a lunch break in the 1930s. It’s for the folks who want that specific, scratchy-film sound and horses kicking up way too much dust.
If you hate old black-and-white westerns with plot points you can see coming from a mile away, this is going to be a rough hour for you. It isn't trying to be Alice in Wonderland, that is for sure.
The whole thing feels a bit cramped, like they were filming in someone’s backyard. There is this one scene where they are arguing about cattle rustling, and the guy in the background just keeps staring at the camera. It’s super distracting. 🤠
The bad guys are just plain evil because they need to be. There isn't much nuance here. You see Bill Larkins and his boys show up and you just know they are going to ruin everything. They are so obviously the culprits that the mystery element barely exists.
There is a moment where a character gets shot with Joe’s gun, and the reaction is so sudden it’s almost funny. It’s like the editor just hit 'cut' without thinking twice. The story moves at a pace that is somehow both too fast and agonizingly slow. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Hi-Flyers, but with more spurs.
I found myself wondering if they ever actually fed the horses, or if they just kept swapping them out. The film is thin, but sometimes you just need to watch a guy in a big hat ride across a valley for ten minutes straight. It is not high art. It is just… a movie.
Do not expect to remember the ending by tomorrow. It is just one of those films that disappears from your brain the second the credits roll. But hey, it has heart, even if that heart is mostly just dust and cheap stage makeup. 🐎
