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Blueberry (2004)
Misunderstood depiction of spiritual transformation
Renegade (aka Blueberry in Europe) is a classic case of most people simply not understanding what the movie is really about. On the surface it is a "weird Western" with some trippy elements, a very loose adaptation of the Blueberry graphic novel series. From what I gather, the film was hated by fans of the graphic novels and Westerns alike.
What the film is really about is psychological wounding and spiritual transformation - that is, it is a film about shamanism. It depicts this very human journey in a mythic, archetypal, visionary fashion that is almost unheard of in cinema.
The film includes three or four main parts, or acts. The first 20+ minutes describes the protagonist Mike Blueberry's backstory. In short, Blueberry is a spoiled and unruly Cajun youth sent to work with his uncle, who experiences a trauma that gets him involved with Indian shamans. The next almost 50 minutes is a relatively standard Western fair, with only glimmers of what is to come. It is presumably years, even decades later, and Blueberry is the town sheriff. Various folks seek the legendary gold of the Sacred Mountains, which incites conflict between the Indians and settlers, who view Blueberry with distrust due to his sympathies towards the Indians. A mysterious traveler, Wallace Sebastien Blount, enters the scene - played by Michael Madsen at his creepy, menacing best - seeking the Sacred Mountains. And so it develops...
About 70 minutes into the film, and for the last 45 minutes or so, the film takes a different turn, especially the finale that is the last 15 minutes of psychedelic imagery. I won't spoil it for you - it is intense, beautiful, and profound, especially the final scene of awakening and mystical union.
The real heart of the film is its depiction of psychological wounding and transformation. If you don't get this, the jewel that this film is will be missed. If that's not your bag, it is a good enough film on its own--with some standout performances, especially by Cassel, Madsen, and Lewis--but maybe not as good at pure Western fair as some others.