Bloody good western thrillers are hard to come by these days, so criticizing The Thicket for its predictable plotline would be unnecessary nitpicking, given how stylish, satirical, and often subversive the rest of the movie is. With Peter Dinklage playing the role of an ace bounty hunter and Juliette Lewis’ stellar performance as a savage, crooked outlaw, gun violence galore to the heart’s content of western fans—what more viewers could ask for anyway?
Adapted from Joe R. Lansdale’s novel of the same name, The Thicket is a gritty vengeance western that simultaneously employs some of the genre stereotypes and twists it to present the narrative as a revisionist take. Aside from the payoff, which doesn’t really hit the spot after a prolonged buildup, The Thicket is a solid one-time watch that retains uniqueness with its pulpy undertone.
Spoilers Ahead
Jack Parker Assigns Reginald Jones And Eustace To Capture Cutthroat Bill
Back in the early twentieth century, a dreaded, crooked-faced female outlaw, Cut Throat Bill, speeds through a snowy landscape in the Wild West, riding her motorcycle, when she catches a glimpse of a young Lula Parker. Bill goes on to rob a jacket from a grave during a funeral at church, proving her notoriety in a funny and morbid way.
Later, sibling duo Lula and her naïve, starry-eyed brother, Jack, are compelled to leave their home along with their grandfather, Caleb, after their parents pass away of smallpox. Members of a devout Christian family, paying their respects to the departed, the trio leave after setting the house on fire—reasonably enough, due to the prevalent myths related to contagious diseases. Caleb decides to take his grandchildren to their aunt’s place in Kansas, and makes Jack the heir to his property in Montana. As the trio reach a river crossing, they come across Bill and her gang, and Bill recognizes Lula quite easily. As she makes advances towards her, Caleb tries to fend her off. A tense situation follows, which culminates in Bill killing Caleb, knocking out Jack, and taking Lula as her captive. As Bill and her gang make their way to ‘Thicket,’ the gang’s hideout in the northernmost area that is supposed to be an unreachable outpost guarded by dense wilderness, they make a stop at the small town of Sylvester. Bill’s violent streak makes another appearance as she loots a shop and kills the shopkeeper and his son before fleeing the town.
Jack regains his senses and arrives at Sylvester too late; by then, a random idiot suspected to be Bill has been hanged in the town square. From a grave digger, Eustace, Jack learns about Bill venturing to the north and learns about Eustace’s associate, Reginald Jones—a dwarf bounty hunter and an exceptional marksman. Jones is introduced as a composed, taciturn dwarf gunslinger who ends up assaulting the town’s Alderman after getting into a heated argument, and as he goes on the run with Eustace driving his wagon, Jack tags along as well. Witnessing Jones’ terrifying sharpshooting skills on display, Jack pleads with him and Eustace to assist in rescuing his sister in exchange for the ten thousand dollar bounty on Bill’s head. Jones begrudgingly takes the offer, and the trio starts following Bill’s trail. The Sylvester Alderman sends two of his enforcers, brother duo Malachi and Simon Deasy, to kill Reginald in order to take revenge.
Jack Meets Jimmy Sue, And The Deal Is Renewed
On their way, the team makes a stop at the town of Dahlia, where Jack gets enamoured with Jimmy Sue, a black prostitute who has been forced into the flesh trade recently, and decides to fight off the club managed where she is employed in order to rescue her. Later on, Jack and Jimmy get closer to each other and seemingly fall in love. Jimmy, who is aware of one of Bill’s associates being present in the outskirts of the town, takes the team to him, where Bill, Jack, and Eustace take turns to torture this associate, nicknamed ‘Fatty,’ to learn Bill’s whereabouts.
On the other hand, Lula’s mental condition continues to worsen as Bill’s violent, sadistic tendencies keep her on edge, and at the same time, her caring gestures towards Lula evoke a mixed feeling in her. On one occasion, Bill saves Lula from being raped by two of her gang members. Lula’s attempt to escape from her ends in failure, as despite having the chance to shoot Bill to death, she finds herself unable to do so. Lula continues her attempt to flee and comes across the Deasy brothers; following her, Bill reaches them and kills Simon Deasy before taking Lula back with her. One of Bill’s gang members warns Lula, mentioning that Bill had taken a number of women of her liking to the Thicket, where she had fulfilled her despicable desires by carving up their bodies and faces. As Lula dares to confront Bill about it, she shrugs off her concerns by displaying affection towards her. Within a few days, in a hapless, terrified state of mind, Lula has turned into a shell of the person she used to be—all thanks to Bill’s diabolical presence.
As Jack, Jones, and Eustace torture Fatty, they are unable to learn anything from him, and Jones learns that Bill’s bounty is mere 1/10th of the initially assumed amount. This creates a rift among them, as Jones and Eustace aren’t willing to risk their necks for mere scrap. However, Jack manages to pry information out of Fatty with Jimmy’s help and promises Jones to provide land from his grandpa’s property in Montana, of which he is the present owner. Following the trail, the team spots Bill and her gang moving into an inn, and Jones decides to meet Bill face-to-face to assess exactly what they are dealing with at the moment. Jones experiences his fair share of dread as Bill’s appearance and demeanor are terrifying enough to make someone as steely-naive as Jones feel a bit concerned for Lula. However, as Bill and her gang depart, Jones manages to make Lula aware that his brother is on his way to rescue her. Jones’ group gets ambushed by Malachi Deasy, who lost his brother to Bill’s assault and wants to take revenge, and finding a common enemy, he eventually decides to join their group.
Were Jack and Jones Able to Save Lula?
While heading for the Thicket, Bill makes a stop at the local church and burns it down, leaving the padre half burned and alive. Jack and co. reach there, only to learn about Bill’s terrible past from him, as he reveals that during her childhood, Bill was brutalized by her mother due to her crooked facial appearance and ended up burning her mother alive in self-defense. This explains Bill’s sadistic tendencies, as her childhood trauma of violence only resulted in her propagating more violence in return ever since. The padre warns Jack that there is no saving Lula, as in Bill’s company, her soul is already lost.
Assessing the dangers that lie ahead, Jones decides to turn his back on Jack’s deal; aside from the security of his own person and of Eustace, he isn’t really eager to meet the horrors, which he will inevitably find after reaching the Thicket. A desperate Jack starts insulting Jones and decides to lock horns, escalating the situation in an instant. Ultimately, with Jimmy and Eustace’s intervention, the situation is assuaged, and Jones decides to rescue Lula out of his inherent goodwill. Later that night, Jones makes amends with Jack, who asks him about the padre’s statement—is his assessment about Lula being beyond saving really justified? Jones, who has suffered profusely at the hands of his own parents, knows a thing or two about whether trauma can truly alter a person entirely, and he assures Jack that his sister will remain the same person Jack knew her to be.
The next day, Jones’ group finally locates and surrounds the Thicket, and as a vicious shootout ensues, they manage to clear out most of Bill’s gang members. However, Malachi dies by giving away his cover, Jimmy dies while battling Bill’s Native American right-hand man and kills him with her dying breath, and Eustace sustains a fatal injury as well. In a final showdown, Bill faces Jack, who gets disarmed by her quickdraw, but Lula manages to overpower Bill and beats her to a bloody pulp, letting her inner frustration out with all her might. However, Bill takes control of the situation and nearly kills Lula when Jones’ long-distance shot eliminates Bill. Remembering her mother for the last time, Bill bites the dust.
In The Thicket’s ending, Jack, who had received a fatal shot during his showdown with Bill, passes away in his sister’s arms as well. A devastated Lula breaks down, seeing her brother’s vacant, lifeless eyes, and in his final moments, Eustace finds some solace by speaking with his friend, Jones. Lula cuts off Bill’s head to take it along with her as she and Jones collect the bounty from the local sheriff, and surprisingly, the amount was indeed ten thousand dollars after all. Splitting the amount two ways, Jones decides to part ways with Lula as well, who insists he stay and venture to Montana along with her; she has no one in the world she can call family. The Thicket ends with Lula paying her respects at her late brother’s grave; she has settled down with Jones as the duo try to turn a new page in their lives—as the ending of the movie connects with Emily Dickinson’s quote about family, which acted as a signifier in the opening of the movie.
What Does the Future Hold for Lula and Jones?
The harrowing experiences Lula had during her time with Bill, losing her family, forever transformed her by violence, as is pretty apparent from the way she effortlessly decapitated Bill’s corpse without flinching. She is no longer the innocent damsel in distress; if the situation calls for it, she can be as vicious as her tormentors were, and in the worst-case scenario, the darkness in her heart can spill out in her new life as well. In a sense, the padre was right in his assessment about Lula’s soul being corrupted beyond recovery, as there is no way to revert the damage that has been done to her psyche. As for Jones, he seems to be a world-weary guy who has experienced his fair share of darkness and violence and has become unfazed by it. There is a chance for him to lead a peaceful life with Lula, but even if it doesn’t work out, he will not have issues to tend to for himself in the end.
