parsifalCSA
I happened upon this modern traditional Western by accident, and it turned out to be well worth watching, indeed, a movie that I would watch again...and again. The plot is a good one, with a number of quirks that keep one involved and wondering what just might happen next. I found the script writing to be terse and believable. Duffy and Keach work well together, and, in fact, the entire cast does well. Photography is almost entirely outside, with good shots of mountainous scenery and good camera work. Additionally, this is a movie that you can watch with the entire family, without fear that over-the-top "adult" situations will mar the viewing. I hope that it will show up on DVD.
MagicStarfire
4 stars out of 10 Everyone's heard of the "chick" flick, but nobody ever says anything about flicks that would be of no interest except to guys. That's what this film is - it is the exact opposite of the chick flick - a word that I probably can't use here, so you can fill in the blank.This thinly plotted, prodding western could have all been told in a half hour program, with commercials.I had actually looked forward to this, having seen the previews, and also due to the fact it was being shown on the Hallmark Channel - which up until now I had always equated with quality films.The story, such as it was, revolved mainly around two ancient, grizzled old-timers, Swede (Patrick Duffy) and Samuel (Stacy Keach.) Samuel's estranged adult son, Johnny and his gang rob the bank, and Swede as the Sheriff and Samuel as a former bounty hunter, along with Edwin, a banker previously from Boston, go slowly ambling after them. Swede (and why he's called that is anybody's guess, since he obviously is Irish and not Swedish), and his old friend, Samuel, neither one seem to be in any hurry to catch up to the bank robbers. Swede is so reluctant, I could only wonder why he kept running for the office of Sheriff, since he obviously didn't care for the job.In addition to robbing the bank, Johnny stops by the home of his estranged wife, Olivia, and picks up his son, Abe, a kid around six years old. Yeah, I know that's what I'd do if I were on the run--take a six old along with me.Johnny and Olivia also have a daughter, maybe a year or two older, named Molly, but Johnny doesn't make much effort to snag her.Samuel's Mexican wife, who is young enough to be his daughter, comes and stays with Olivia and Molly during this time. Like everything else in this film, this comes to nothing in particular, beyond her telling Olivia about her own young son's tragic tale.At one point, Swede, Samuel and Edwin arrive at a tavern in an area considered so rough Swede takes off his badge before going in. There they encounter one of the bank robbers but Swede, as Sheriff, does nothing about it, neither does anybody else. There's some words exchanged, trouble started by the bank robber, but it doesn't come to anything much.At another point in the film, young Abe decides to run off during a shoot-out between the bank robbers and the trio who have been slowly following them. Now the intelligent thing to do would have been for the kid to run in the direction of his grandpa Samuel, (or hide) but no, he doesn't do either--instead he goes fogging across the prairie through grass higher than his head, no doubt getting a mess of ticks in the process.There is some very boring dialog between Swede and Samuel, with Edwin as the outsider.There is some more boring dialog between two bounty hunters who are trailing along behind Swede, Samuel and Edwin -- these two consist of a mountain man and a philosophical Mexican.There is some shooting, with the bad guys being the usual very bad shots, and with the so-called good guys walking into ambushes and gimping across a wide street in plain sight but with only one of them taking a non-fatal bullet in the leg.This film was only two hours (with commercials making it less actually), but it seemed like two weeks.
mike
This little western surprised me with a few twists and I reluctantly found myself buying into the heart of the story. Though the budget was obviously modest, the film was at times beautifully photographed and the dialogue took me back to old westerns I watched on lazy weekends as a kid. Old-fashioned and easy to watch, even if at times cliché and predictable. There were a few one liners that worked and the general story of child abduction seems to me unique to the western genre. How about that? A storyline with some originality in the western genre. Basically, a must-see for true western fans. Could have been much more fascinating on the big screen with more grit and money behind it, but all-in-all a nice little ditty for the Hallmark Channel. Easily the most engaging western I've seen on Hallmark. Worth watching even to the casual fan of westerns. Oh yeah, Patrick Duffy makes a very credible cowboy. Who knew? and watch out for David Snell, he turns in a fascinating portrayal of Edwin. I got my hands on a screener and watched it in advance, but am about to tune in again tonight to the premier...
