Review | Cannes 2025: Eddington movie review – Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal lead Covid-era western
Joaquin Phoenix puts himself through the wringer as sheriff of a town gripped by Covid-19 and gradually enveloped by violence
3.5/5 stars
While he shifts gears for his new movie, Eddington, finding a lower register, he still manages to recreate a moment of global stress. The film begins in late May 2020, with the world in lockdown as the Covid-19 pandemic has taken a grip and coronavirus is spreading.
Premiering in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, Eddington is billed as a modern-day western, set in New Mexico, where the eponymous town’s Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) comes to blows with local mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal).
The asthmatic Cross refuses to wear his mask in local stores, a decision that sets in motion a vendetta between the two men.
The backstory is that Garcia and Cross’ wife Louise (Emma Stone) have a troubled history. But with concerning mental health issues she has further worries, especially when she falls under the spell of an online guru named Vernon Jefferson Peak (Austin Butler).