The Thicket – Movie Review | Tubi (3/5)

THE THICKET on Tubi is a new Western Thriller Crime hybrid with an impressive cast. Juliette Lewis and Peter Dinklage are both wonderful. It’s a good movie – just not great. Read our full The Thicket movie review here!

THE THICKET is a new Tubi movie with a very impressive cast. We’ve watched a lot of Tubi movies over the years and this is definitely in a league of its own in many ways. Not least when it comes to the cast. I especially loved Juliette Lewis who goes all out for this character.

The genres are Western, Thriller, Crime, and (of course) drama. It’s a hybrid that offers a very dark world. One not unlike what we see in the new Netflix mini-series American Primeval. This movie takes place quite a bit later though. The runtime is 1 hour and 48 minutes.

Continue reading our The Thicket movie review below. Find it on Tubi from January 10, 2025.

Crime in the Wild West

While I’m not sure exactly when or where we are at all times in The Thicket, life is still very much stuck in the days of the Wild West. Sure, there’s a motorcycle and a few automobiles, but for the most part, people are still getting around on horseback.

I liked the worldbuilding in The Thicket and that goes a long way.

In any case, the core plot (though there are several relevant side plots) revolves around a bounty hunter (Peter Dinklage) and the person he ends up going after (Juliette Lewis). Not only is he a bounty hunter, he’s also an undertaker, among other odd jobs.

Ultimately, he ends up with a band of “unlikely heroes” in his pursuit of the bounty. The title refers to the deadly no-man’s-land they will have to enter to get her. It’s known as “The Thicket”.

Juliette Lewis and Peter Dinklage play key roles in this impressive cast, and – to me – they are the best part of the movie. Apparently, this is also a passion project for Peter Dinklage who serves as a producer on top of starring in it.

Long time in the making…

The Thicket has been quite a few years in the making and with many changes to the cast. Originally, Noomi Rapace (Constellation) and Sophia Lillis (It – Part 1) were in the cast. They were replaced by Juliette Lewis and Esme Creed-Miles respectively.

While I adore Noomi Rapace, I loved Juliette Lewis as “Cutthroat Bill” so I don’t mind that replacement. However, I would’ve loved to see Sophia Lillis as Lula Parker. Not to say anything bad about Esme Creed-Miles but knowing Sophia Lillis was originally cast, I can see why.

In other key roles, we see Levon Hawke (yes, brother of Maya Hawke with all that entails in terms of parents), Gbenga Akinnagbe, Ned Dennehy (Baghead), Macon Blair (The Hunt), Arliss Howard (The Killer), Leslie Grace, and Teach Grant (Altered Carbon).

Also in this movie is James Hetfield. Yes, as in James Hetfield, the lead singer of Metallica, but he has acted before. Including in the Ted Bundy biopic starring Zac Efron Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile.

Watch The Thicket on Tubi now

Elliot Lester is the director of this new Tubi movie with Chris Kelley as the screenwriter. Previously, Elliot Lester directed Aftermath (2017), Sleepwalker (2017), and Nightingale (2014). Writer Chris Kelley has worked on the TV series Banshee and Preacher.

The movie is based on a story by Joe R. Lansdale (Love, Death & Robots) and I’m not sure if fans of it will enjoy this adaptation, but it’s worth a shot. As stated earlier, I found The Thicket to be a good movie – just not a great one.

A few of the actors aren’t as sharp and strong as everyone else and it does hurt the overall impression a little. However, I still found it worth watching, so check it out if you like the gritty Western stories. Also, if you do watch and enjoy this one, you have to watch this >

The Thicket is on Tubi from January 10, 2025.

Details

Director: Elliott Lester
Writers: Chris Kelley, Joe R. Lansdale
Stars: Peter Dinklage, Juliette Lewis, Levon Hawke, Esme Creed-Miles, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Ned Dennehy, James Hetfield, Macon Blair, Arliss Howard, Leslie Grace, Andrew Schulz