A ‘Games of Thrones’ Star’s 2024 Western Thriller Is the Most Twisted Free Watch on the Internet

These days, Tubi is not just your favorite ad-supported, cost-friendly streaming service. Along with supplying audiences with a wide range of movies, from silent cinema to contemporary hits, the Fox Corporation-owned streamer, like its counterparts, has dipped its toes into original content. Initially, the “Tubi Original” banner looks jarring, and the thumbnails of these low-budget movies won’t trick anyone into believing these are awards contenders (at least, not yet).

The possibilities are endless, but more likely than not, you’ll pull out some movie you’ve never heard of with obscure stars. Still, one of the most fascinating original movies starred Peter Dinklage in a theatrically released Western, The Thicket. This 2024 hidden gem is a grisly, unflinching period piece stripping away all the romanticism of the genre.

‘The Thicket’ Was a Longtime Passion Project for Peter Dinklage

Following his renowned tenure as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, Peter Dinklage was vaulted into rarefied air, having proven himself to be worthy of carrying a major HBO series and various independent dramas. Whether as the lead in a recent adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac in 2021 or brief supporting roles in Avengers: Infinity War and The Lowdown, Dinklage always delivers. The Thicket, directed by Elliott Lester and co-starring Juliette Lewis, Gbenga Akinnagbe, and Metallica head James Hetfield, plays into his strengths as an austere dramatic presence and unlocks an unyielding side to his persona.

Based on a 2014 novel by Joe R. Landsdale, The Thicket follows a bounty hunter, Reginald Jones (Dinklage), and a band of unlikely heroes pursuing a vicious killer, Cut-Throat Bill (Lewis), who kidnaps Lula Parker (Esmé Creed-Miles), only to find themselves in uncharted territory in the harrowing area, the namesake of the title. While seeming like a basic programmer from afar, the movie was a longtime passion project for Dinklage. Thanks to its robust cast, sharp tonal inflection of this perilous Western setting, and an inspired performance by its lead, The Thicket punches above its weight class as a Tubi original.

At the heart of this conventional but effective Western saga is the Game of Thrones star as Jones, who shares Tyrion’s psychological shrewdness turned to an ominous, ghost-like degree. The snowy terrain complements the briskly harsh demeanor of Dinklage’s character and the prevailing sense of death surrounding all the characters fighting for their lives. Handsomely crafted and committed to attentive detail, Elliott Lester’s revisionist film has the innate spectacle and alluring trappings of a classic Western to attract casual viewers, only to subvert expectations as a story of justice.

‘The Thicket’ Is a Darker and Grittier Western Than You Might Expect

The most notable change from the page to the screen is the gender-swapped treatment of Cut-Throat Bill, who is assumed to be of male identity by all parties. The film wisely avoids sweeping statements that would feel overstated and forced in a historical period lacking the proper dialogue to engage with gender identity, but Juliette Lewis’ casting is still a bold choice that changes the framework of the story (women are rarely portrayed as antagonistic in Westerns, let alone fleshed out people) and allows the daring and firebrand actor to indulge in the darkness and unsettling energy of this outlaw. While Jones’ team is a cast of unlikely outsiders, there is hardly any wholesome companionship between Jack Parker (Levon Hawke) and Eustace Howard (Akinnagbe). They know this life of vengeance is futile, but their moral compass leads them to a thankless sacrifice.

Based on its poster and Tubi production stamp, a haunting drama about mortality and the nobility of vengeance is the last thing an oblivious viewer would suspect from The Thicket. The film’s broad setup and presentation suggest that it’s going to offer an old-school, pulp Western about the good guys riding into town and shooting the bad guys. However, like most Westerns in a post-Unforgiven world, its heart lies with revisionist ruminations on American myths.

While not as nuanced and pointed as any of Clint Eastwood‘s Westerns, The Thicket uses its simplistic apparatus to undermine audience expectations. The world is littered with savagery and unscrupulous figures wreaking havoc. When you fire up Tubi, you never know what you’re going to get. You might run into something completely forgettable or an overlooked gem like The Thicket, which should only increase in popularity as it expands onto other services.