THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN American Independents

The sidekick becomes the leading man in Jared Moshé’s accomplished Western, a loving homage to the classics of the genre that sidesteps tradition to examine this well-travelled cinematic landscape from a different point of view. The inimitable Bill Pullman gives a career-best performance as Lefty, right-hand man to legendary Montana lawman and recently elected Senator Eddie Johnson (Peter Fonda). Their longtime friendship takes a violent turn when Eddie is gunned down, and Lefty is falsely implicated in the murder. On the run and determined to acquit himself while bringing the real culprits to justice, the good-natured but bumbling Lefty picks up a sidekick of his own, guiding us through Moshé’s cleverly scripted, thrilling love letter to the Western. – Mike Dougherty