Modern filmgoers are so used to sensory overload that not having a barrage of sounds and quick edits can almost make a motion picture seem boring. Some movies, though, should be quiet and spare. Meek’s Cutoff seeks to recapture the wide open Old West, and by and large, it succeeds. Adept at vulnerability, Michelle Williams steps into a stronger role as part of a lost expedition that is running out of time. An unrecognizable Bruce Greenwood is Meek, and though he normally doesn’t get leading roles, he’s very good here. And yes, the film is very quiet: There’s no dialogue for the first 10 minutes, and there’s not much interaction between characters during the first 40 minutes or so. Part of the problem is that there is not 100 minutes of story to tell. With more tension or conflict early on, this could have been quite good. By Colin Boyd