Have you ever been wandering around a park and stumbled upon something unique? Or, rather, have you ever wondered if someone has stumbled upon something unique in that same park? Hopefully, it would be something grand, like some rare coins you could potentially turn in for a large sum of money, but maybe not. Maybe you tripped and noticed something just beneath the ground’s surface. Perhaps, you were walking your dog and it discovered something and so you both began digging and then you found the remains of beings long gone.
They say that the dead do not talk, but they can still tell a story. What could that story be? At the beginning of “First Cow,” a film directed by Kelly Reichardt (“Certain Women”), an unspecified woman makes such a discovery and then the real story begins…
Otis “Cookie” Figowitz, played by John Magaro (“Overlord”) is a frontiersman, of a sort. He has made his way, during the 1820s, westward to the Oregon Territory and considers cooking to be his primary source of trade. However, his traveling band of companions, if you will, is more primal in nature and merely a temporary outfit for Cookie. Along the way, as they scavenge the woods, somewhere outside of Oregon, Cookie encounters a man of Chinese decent, who is running from men who seek to bring him in for the killing of a Russian individual, and they become friends, though of the inconspicuous nature. 
Little do either of them know that their paths will cross again one day, soon, and the results will be quite fateful. His name is King-Lu, played by Orion Lee.
In the mean time, Cookie walks into a bar of some kind, once he has been paid for his time and efforts on the way to the Oregon Territory. Among those patronizing the place are: the late Rene Auberjonois (“Raising Buchanan”) as Man with Raven, Ewen Bremner (“T2 Trainspotting”) as Lloyd, and Dylan Smith (“Maze Runner: The Death Cure”) as Jack. At some point, a brawl takes place and in the midst Cookie reunites with King-Lu. From there, they head to Lu’s shack, just on the outskirts of the town and the two become roommates. As time goes on, they discuss each other’s life experiences and prospective plans and dreams for the future. Lu wishes to continue his worldly travels and Cookie wishes to own his own baking shop one day.
Soon, a large raft brings in a cow, which is the property of one Chief Factor, played by Toby Jones (“Avengers: End Game”), who is basically the most important man in the area; wealthy and industrious. As it turns out, the cow is placed in an isolated spot not far from where Cookie and King-Lu reside. They hatch a scheme to steal its milk at night, when no one is around to guard against such acts.
Cookie then gets to work, utilizing his baking skills in King-Lu’s hut, with the plan to sell what he makes to the willing people of the town. His new biscuits are an immediate success and he and Lu steadily build a small fortune for themselves. Shortly after, the Chief Factor makes his way to their spot and is equally impressed and gratified by their product. He instantly invites them over to his estate, the only real house in the area. 
While Cookie sees the benefits of doing potential business with such a wealthy and influential man, Lu worries that they might be getting too close for comfort if their nightly visits to the cow are to continue any further.
The remainder of the movie is something of a cat-and-mouse scenario. Cookie and King-Lu are made for their criminal activities and are forced to pick up their things and make an escape to San Francisco, with the hopes of making a new life for themselves on the large sum of money they have recently earned, though at the expense of another. Soon enough, the natural dangers of their surroundings, coupled with the hasty feet of armed men catch up to them and their escape is thwarted. 
As it happens, it was all a dream, ostensibly, and we are right back where we started from the beginning, in the park.
“First Cow” shows its strength in the written dialogue for its primary characters and their various interactions. Despite how long ago these people may have existed, in the story, they were highly relatable. However, the story, itself, though easy to follow, is not too clear in its purpose or meaning, at least to me. At the start of things, I did not even know what was going on because the transition form present time into the past was not very apparent. Still, I applaud this film for assuming a certain level of intelligence in its prospective audience. It seems that most are enjoying it, though likely not enough to make this movie a big hit, even by this year’s standards. I liked this film upon a single viewing and possibly like it even a little bit more, now, which is a testament to its potential, if nothing else. There is nothing fancy or intense about “First Cow,” but for the most part, it was well done, especially as a character study coming from beyond the graves in another time and place in America.
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Screenwriters: Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond (“Night Moves”)
Based on: “The Half Life,” by Jonathan Raymond
Starring: John Magaro, Orion Lee, Toby Jones, Ewen Bremner, Scott Shephard as Captain, Gary Farmer as Totillicum and Lily Gladstone (“Walking Out”) as Chief Factor’s Wife
Distributor: A24
Release date: August 6th, 2019 (Telluride) and July 21st, 2020 (United States)
