The rating gap is the first red flag
If you look at the Rotten Tomatoes scores—an 80% from critics and an 81% from the audience—you might think you’ve found a hidden masterpiece. Then you look at the 5.2 on IMDb and the 2.6 on Letterboxd. That kind of disconnect usually means one thing: the movie is a Rorschach test for the viewer's personal or political leanings rather than a consensus hit.
In reality, the movie sits right in the middle. It isn’t the high-art Western the RT score suggests, but it isn't total bottom-of-the-barrel trash either. It’s a standard, low-budget siege thriller that happens to be set in the 1800s. If your teen is expecting the high-octane choreography of the lead actress's previous work in a certain galaxy far, far away, they are going to be bored by the first forty-five minutes.
It’s a home invasion movie in a cowboy hat
While the synopsis says "pioneering family," don't expect a sprawling adventure. This is a "bottle" movie. Most of the action takes place in and around a single cabin. It uses the isolation of the Montana plains to create a sense of claustrophobia, which works well for the budget but might feel repetitive for viewers used to the sweeping scale of modern Westerns.
The tension doesn't come from clever plot twists. It comes from the sheer "mean-sightedness" of the villains. There is a specific kind of friction here that parents should be ready for: the "baby in peril" trope. Using an infant as a prop for suspense is a common B-movie tactic, and this film uses it as its primary emotional anchor. If that kind of high-stress vulnerability makes you or your teen more anxious than entertained, this is an easy pass.
Where the violence lands
The movie opens with a graphic scalping, which sets a tone the rest of the film doesn't always live up to. It wants to be a "grindhouse" movie, but it also tries to be a serious drama about faith and family. These two halves clash constantly.
- The villains are the "Bible-quoting psychopath" variety, which feels a bit dated.
- The action is competent but lacks the "wow" factor of big-studio productions.
- The pacing is a slow crawl toward a bloody finale.
If your teen is a fan of the "final girl" trope in horror movies—where a woman is pushed to her absolute limit and has to find a hidden well of brutality to survive—they might appreciate the arc here. It’s a story about competence and grit under pressure. But if they’re looking for a movie with a deep message or a complex story, they’ll likely find the 5.2 IMDb score to be the most accurate assessment of the bunch.
