The Sisters Brothers. 2018. France/Spain/Romania/USA. Directed by Jacques Audiard. 121 min.
Cain and Abel, Iris and Arke, Cleopatra and Ptolemy—stories of misaligned siblings have always captivated. Fatefully joined, often at odds, inevitably complex, these tales exposed the inner conflicts of characters who share a physical bond, but not a mind. Another such pair is Eli and Charlie Sisters (John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix), hitmen in the Gold Rush–era American West who complement and complicate each other. A dark tale of fortune and folly, Audiard’s first Western (and first English-language feature) is a lushly rendered gem.