Today on TV: Natalie Portman and another ‘Star Wars’ hero in a tough revenge western that you probably don’t know

Take a look at the cast of “The Indomitable – Jane Got A Gun”: The title heroine is played by Natalie Portman (“Léon – The Professional”). Joel Edgerton (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “Warrior”) and the ever-reliable Noah Emmerich from “The Truman Show” play the two men in the main character’s life. The villain of the story is Ewan McGregor – world famous, among other things, as Obi-Wan Kenobi from the prequel trilogy ‘Star Wars’, in which he also appeared at Portman’s side. That’s what you call a top-class cast.

“The Indomitable – Jane Got A Gun” will be broadcast today, January 30, 2024 at 8:15 PM on Tele 5. There will be a repeat that same evening at 1:40 am. Alternatively, you can stream the FSK 12 title for free in the channel’s media library from the end of the first TV broadcast until February 29. It is also available from online retailers such as Amazon as Blu-ray, DVD or paid video on demand:

“The Indomitable” on Tele 5: that is the story

1871 New Mexico: Jane Hammond (Portman) lives a difficult but peaceful existence with her small family on a small, remote farm. She fought hard for this. She first had to get her husband Bill (Emmerich) to leave his criminal gang membership behind for her and their daughter Mary (Maisie McMaster).

When Bill is tracked down years later by his old cronies around the unscrupulous John Bishop (McGregor), they want revenge for his ‘betrayal’ and a gunfight ensues. Bill is riddled with bullets, but manages to escape and drag himself home. There he begs Jane to leave immediately, but she insists on staying.

Jane takes care of Bill as best she can, places Mary with neighbors for safety and drives to the ranch of her ex-fiancé Dan Frost (Edgerton). Bishop and his henchmen terrorizing the countryside have long been a thorn in the side. Since he still has feelings for Jane, he is willing to help. The duo stock up on a truckload of weapons, ammunition and dynamite, turn the Hammond farm into a fortress and wait for the attack that is sure to come…

A whole hell behind the scenes

When The Indomitable was announced in 2012 under its original title Jane Got a Gun, it caused a stir and excitement among film fans. And not just because Natalie Portman, who had just won an Oscar the year before for her furious performance in ‘Black Swan’, would be seen in a Western for the first time. The fact that “We Need to Talk About Kevin” director Lynne Ramsay, a new filmmaker who was receiving high praise at the time, would also direct the production also created positive buzz.

But Ramsay’s dedication proved to be a weak point in the studio’s plans. Initially, the Scot was unable to deliver her promised revision of the original script by Brian Duffield (“Underwater”) on time. This led to Michael Fassbender, who was contracted to play Dan Frost, to drop out because he was needed on the set of “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” Then Joel Edgerton, who was supposed to play the antagonist, switched to the “good side” and Jude Law (“Sherlock Holmes”) was now there as the villain. But then suddenly, without notice, Ramsay didn’t show up at the start of filming. A short time later, she left the project completely because the producers (including Portman) reportedly did not want to give her full control over the final version.

As a legal dispute with Ramsay escalated into a mud fight, the studio quickly found a replacement in “The Accountant” director Gavin O’Connor. However, due to the inevitable delay, Law had to cancel as he already had other commitments. Bradley Cooper was intended to be his successor in the criminal role, but he was soon unavailable due to his commitment to ‘American Hustle’. Ultimately, the role went to Ewan McGregor.

This seemingly chaotic personnel carousel could have been manageable. However, in the course of this, the script was changed, restructured and smoothed out numerous times, losing its interesting, because unusually feminine, view of life in the Old West. Our FILMSTARTS review by author Michael Meyns had only two lukewarm stars. Because In the end, the once promising ‘The Indomitable’ had become just an uninspired and extremely conventional film. No wonder it flopped mercilessly and was quickly forgotten.

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