Director Gabe Polsky captures a vivid sense of life on the American frontier in this flinty adaptation of the classic John Williams novel. In 1874, Will (Fred Hechinger) abandons his academic studies and decides to go west, hungry for experience of the real world. He meets seasoned buffalo hunter Miller (Nicolas Cage) who invites him to join a hunting party tracking an elusive herd. The film starts to echo Moby Dick as Miller grows obsessed with his quarry, putting the lives of his men at risk as they fall victim to the brutal conditions and the worsening winter weather.
Thanks to Altitude Films