Chris Pratt’s dark turn in Vincent D’Onofrio’s 2019 western The Kid

Collider reports that Chris Pratt made a stark departure from his usual screen persona by playing a sadistic Old West outlaw, Uncle Grant, in Vincent D’Onofrio’s revisionist western The Kid.

The film follows preteen Rio Cutler (Jake Schur), who shoots his father in self-defense and flees with his sister Sara (Leila George), coming under the sway of a posse led by Billy the Kid (Dane DeHaan) while Sheriff Pat Garrett (Ethan Hawke) grows suspicious. D’Onofrio directed and Pratt reunites with co-stars from the 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven, including Hawke and D’Onofrio.

The Kid was released March 8, 2019, runs 100 minutes and is streaming on Fandango at Home in the US. It suffered a limited release and was largely panned by critics, holding a 43% score on Rotten Tomatoes, even as Pratt’s performance was described as unsettling and devoid of redemption.

The article argues the film should have been seen by more critics as a turning point for Pratt, who is also mentioned as set to appear in the upcoming futuristic thriller Mercy as a cop accused of murder; the piece presents that claim as its assessment of what the role revealed about his range.

Key Topics

Culture, Chris Pratt, Vincent D'onofrio, The Kid, Jake Schur, Dane Dehaan