The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: June Westerns watched

Welcome to The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I hope to turn this into a regular what westerns I watched column with some focus on modern westerns from the last few years.

We are in the middle of a small western film boom. Some of the titles are high profile projects with acclaim and wide theatrical release. For every high profile release there may be ten low-budget, straight to VOD or streaming service westerns that go practically unnoticed.

The new westerns seem to fall into three categories.

There are your big budget, high profile, wide-theatrical release movies like The Revenant, True Grit, Hateful 8, Django Unchained, Magnificent Seven, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and others.

There are your Independent releases that are often acclaimed but don't get as wide a theatrical release. Movies like Meek's Cutoff, Slow West, Jane's Got a Gun, The Salvation, and others.

There are your low-budget/no-budget westerns that drop somewhere with little to no fanfare. They may feature a "big name" actor in a small role, used more for promotional purposes. A fair bit of them seem to be filmed in Canada and may use filming locations not typically associated with the traditional western, lots of wooded/forest shots for example. What marks them most is lower production values, wooden dialog, and stiff acting.

With these low-budget/no-budget westerns, curiosity is getting the better of me, I'm tired of scrolling passed these movies so I'm going to start taking a look at some of them.  There has to be a diamond in the rough, right?

As I said, those movies won't be all I watch. I want to re-watch some classics, dip into some TV shows (both old and new), and just create place to talk about western movies.

Frequency: whenever I have enough to justify a post, I'll post. If something deserves it's own post, I'll do that. These could come weekly, or once a month. We'll see.

Enough rambling, after the jump is what I've watched recently.





In a Valley of Violence (2016)

A mysterious stranger and a random act of violence drag a town of misfits and nitwits into the bloody crosshairs of revenge.

The opening title sequence is vivid and striking and memorable, even if the influence of Tarantino is greatly felt.

We got to talk about the dog thing. One things that you will see repeat itself a couple of times, in this column alone, is elevator style pitch reduction that boils down to "X in the west.", or "X as a western". In this case it's John Wick in the west because of the protagonists relationship with a dog.

In a Valley of Violence is very talky and dialog heavy movie. Which is understandable because the writers probably wanted to give those actors something to chew on. Perhaps a little too talky if you ask me. Westerns should have action.

James Ransone is perfectly annoying in the movie, playing a version of Ziggy from The Wire and Person in Generation Kill. He's so pitiful and loathsome that you root for his comeuppance. John Travolta plays a character that has seen war and violence and now avoids it at all costs. Kind of a peace-nik character in the middle of a brewing violent confrontation. Interesting character that could have used some more development. Ethan Hawke plays a veteran of the Indian Wars who is tired of fighting but can. So, when the dumbasses, led by Ransone, John Wick the dog it becomes a they done-fucked-up-and-woke-a-sleeping-giant story. You know it isn't going to go well, and doesn't.

The show-down ending is predictable and satisfying.

Shout-out to Ethan Hawke's horse riding.

Best moment: The three way showdown in a vertical line that results in a bloody end for one of the characters. Close second is the My Cousin Vinny like fight (that is shown practically in it's entirety in the trailer).

Grade: C+/B-


Jesse James Lawman with Kevin Sorbo and Peter Fonda (2015)

When a small town is overrun by the gang of outlaws. The Mayor finds that they are under the thumb of the gang's leader, villainous Hoyt Killian. The town's sheriff takes it upon himself to hire famed outlaw Jesse James to infiltrate the gang and stop their evil plans from inside their ranks. Its outlaw versus outlaw and to the winner goes the town and it's secret treasures.

Sorbo plays an older Jesse James giving an interview about his life to a skeptical newspaperman. Most of the movie is a tale from James' past being told to the reporter.

You'd think, based on the trailer and the poster, that Peter Fonda and Kevin Sorbo are the stars of the movie. They aren't. In fact, they are barely in it. Their combined screen time can't be more that ten minutes. Peter Fonda isn't given much to do here but outshines the other actors without even lifting a finger. Even Sorbo comes off a lot better than the other actors for the little bit he's on screen.

I liked the idea of this better then the execution. It was marred by cheap production values, a lot of talking, and stilted dialog, and an unconvincing supporting cast. There were hardly any horses, no actors riding horses, average faces, and close ups that don't do the landscape any favors.

Best moment: When the bad guys discover a traitor they give him a good kicking...that has to be the worst beat down in movie history. You never see the character getting beat, the actors administering the beating barely move their legs, and the foley work is laugh out loud funny.

Grade: D


Meek's Cutoff

Settlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 find themselves stranded in harsh conditions.

Settlers traveling west had a tough time. Imagine loading all of your belonging up and walking across a strange country. That's a tough thought exercise for those that come after the pioneers carved a path, including us 150 years later. Rarely has there been such a realistic portrayal of the westward journey. The struggle, the monotony, the fear, the desperation, the loneliness. The artifice of the west(ern) has been stripped away. But, and this is important to note, very little happens in this movie.

Meek's Cutoff is largely told from the women's perspective. They are often left out of conversation and decisions being made. The men will be talking in the middle ground or the distance but the camera stays with the women, watching on, hearing only snatches of discussion that wind carries to them. It's immersive and will be frustrating to some viewers.

Bottom line: You will either love or hate this movie. No middle ground. While I may not have loved the movie, I've been thinking about the experience a lot since the final credits.

Best moment: Bruce Greenwood's character. He's almost a caricature and practically feels like he stumbled in from another movie but you can tell Greenwood is having fun with the role.

Grade: B-


Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story

A former stagecoach robber is hunted by a vengeful US Marshal.

Trace Adkins has had a mini-career in the last few years making westerns. And it is easy to see why, he’s tall, has rugged features, and that voice. If ever a man was built to make westerns, it is Adkins. The downside is his limited acting range which can lead to some stilted delivery and interactions with other actors. But damn does he have presence, so here’s hoping for some growth.

Stagecoach has a well stocked cast with Judd Nelson and Kim Coates and Garry Chalk showing up in a small role. Coates is the main bad guy. You can tell he’s making the most with the part but the writing doesn’t do him justice. Judd Nelson was the real surprise. He’s barely recognizable and steals just about every scene that he is in.

Best moment: Trace Adkins mounting a horse and riding off. All in one shot.

Grade: C


Traded

A father must leave his ranch for Dodge City to save his daughter from an old enemy, putting his reputation as the fastest draw in the west to the test.

Looking at the poster for Traded you would be forgiven for thinking that Trace Adkins is the star. He isn’t. The hero is played by old-school badass Michael Paré. If the poster had depicted him I probably wouldn’t have waited so long to watch.

Pare’s daughter is kidnapped and taken to town to work as a whore. Rancher Pare was the wrong guy to fuck with and goes after her. Traded basically boils down to Taken in the West.

The cast is amazing. Kris Kristofferson plays a crusty old bartender who does what he can to assist Pare on his quest. Trace Adkins is the first bad guy to get in Pare’s way. When you get the reveal of why he traded Pare’s daughter, and what for, you think he’s a total scumbag. Then Martin Kove shows up and steals the whole damn movie with a couple minutes of screen time. Kove is fantastic in this small role. Tom Sizemore shows up as the third act baddie.

Traded surprised me for how dark and violent is was willing to go. It doesn’t quite go full dark but comes pretty close at times.

Traded has its flaws but I enjoyed the hell out of it. Adjust your expectations and give it a try.

Best moment: Martin Kove being such a terrible person that you want to reach through the screen and beat the shit out of him.

Grade: C+


The Salvation

In 1870s America, the fury of a notorious gang leader is unleashed when a peaceful American settler avenges the death of his family. Then as his cowardly fellow townspeople betray him, he is forced to hunt down the outlaws alone.

The Salvation was a really good, formulary western. Mads does a great job in the main role. I actually really liked the actor that played his brother, who looks like he wandered off the set of a forgotten 70s spaghetti western.
The Salvation is great movie to look at, though there are some moments later on where the background CGI is evident (it wasn’t filmed in the US).

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the bad guy and there is one scene that is reminiscent of his role as Negan in the Walking Dead.

Bottom line is that The Salvation is a B grade B western.