Slow West is kind of a slow burner. In terms of the attention it's receiving in Hollywood anyway. The release of John M. McLean's modern western has snuck up on us with little fanfare, though the critics are lauding the movie, which boasts a particularly strong performance from one Michael Fassbender.

Slow WestMichael Fassbender[L] and Kodi Smith-McPhee [R] in Slow West

Set at the end of the nineteenth century, Slow West follows 16-year-old Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) journeying across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. Fassbender plays Silas, Jay's fellow traveller. 

"The western may be about as relevant to American society as the ability to lasso a rampaging steer, but the genre refuses to die. Instead it evolves, taking on new meanings with each new incarnation," said Wendy Ide of The Times.

More: read our full review of Slow West

"That magical combo: a debut feature that knows exactly where it's going and leaves you wanting more," said Adam Woodward of White Little Lies.

"Slow West is too irreverent to be instantly iconic or truly heartbreaking, undermining its most potentially poignant moment in amusingly emphatic style. That's not to say that it isn't striking or stirring," said James Mottram of The List.

"A western, most likely different from any western you'll have seen before, it is by turns funny, sad, tragic, comic and drily witty - it's a gem of the genre," wrote David Aldridge of Radio Times.

Slow West is set for release on June 26.

More: The teaser for Slow West is an impressive teaser