Butcher’s Crossing (2022) – A Haunting Journey Into Wilderness and the Self

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Fred Hechinger
Directed by: Gabe Polsky
Runtime: 1h 45min
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Review:

Butcher’s Crossing isn’t just a western—it’s a raw meditation on obsession, isolation, and man’s fragile place in nature. Set in the rugged frontier of 1870s Colorado, the film follows a young Harvard dropout (Fred Hechinger) who joins a buffalo-hunting expedition led by a hardened frontiersman (a feral, unforgettable Nicolas Cage).

What begins as an adventure quickly descends into madness. The vast, snow-covered wilderness becomes both a physical and psychological prison, testing the characters’ endurance and morality. Cage delivers one of his most intense performances in years—brooding, wild-eyed, and unpredictable.

The cinematography is stark and beautiful, capturing the harshness of the landscape with reverent detail. It’s not action-packed, but deliberately slow and immersive, echoing the stillness and brutality of nature itself.

Verdict: Butcher’s Crossing is a quiet, unsettling masterpiece that strips away romantic notions of the West and explores the spiritual cost of man’s domination over nature. It stays with you—long after the snow melts.