This film drew me in from the start. I like the idea of a small town that makes its living putting on old-fashioned Wild West shows, that is suddenly faced with a gang of renegades not unlike the old Clanton gang of the real Wild West. Surrounded by thugs, the town, though seemingly armed to the teeth, finds itself paralyzed and seems incapable of defending itself. It's an old theme: civilization vs savagery. How do you deal with bandits on the rampage? How far would you go to take back your town? And, as this film cleverly suggested, is the town *worth* saving? To me, "Lone Hero" follows the tradition of "High Noon" and brings to mind the work of Kurosawa. Sadly, what Hollywood offers today is not remotely what it offered yesterday. "Lone Hero" is an updated Western (a forgotten genre) and it has the kind of black-and-white good-vs-evil morality that harks back to the days of John Wayne. I like the fact that this film actually embraces a moral vision not seen in current cinema (except in films like "Gladiator" and "Black Hawk Down"): bravery, honor, sacrifice, and yes, though amazingly it seems offensive to some, the notion of machismo - a quality that we've somehow lost (to our detriment).
