Don't Come Knocking

Like their superior 1984 collaboration Paris, Texas, director Wim Wenders and screenwriter Sam Shepard here focus on a man struggling to put the pieces of his life back together. This time Shepard also takes the starring role as Howard Spence, an ageing actor who yearns for a sense of permanence following a chequered career as Hollywood's go-to cowboy. But, as his journey takes him to Nevada and then Montana - where he discovers a son Earl (Gabriel Mann) that he's never met - building relationships proves harder than trying to rope a bucking steer. There's a seductively surreal quality to the dustbowl setting and a vision of Howard atop his horse, galloping through the desert that draws you in initially. But a series of confrontations becomes more affected and less credible with every knock on the door, as Shepard plays out the mannerisms of the classic western hero without conveying the turmoil underneath. It's left to Jessica Lange, as Earl's mother, to deliver what turns out to be the film's most sincere performance.