Ambush at Dark Canyon (2012) User Reviews

The movie involves a tried & true western idea & doesn't hold back the grit. One of the better westerns in awhile.

[cosmo_tiger · 6/10 · 8 January 2014]

"Some say the legend of Duke Donovan began to eclipse the man." After Marshall Duke Donovan (Brooks) is thrown in jail as an accomplice in a bank robbery he learns that his former partner is plotting to kill his wife. After getting help he escapes and begins the trail of saving his wife and clearing his name. This movie continues the western tradition of "the other side of the story" that every one is told. Movies like Blackthorn, Young Guns 2 and (the one that did it best) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance are examples of this. When the entire country seems to know what happened but when someone who was involved tells what they know everything changes. Since the plot of the movie involves a tried and true western idea and because it was R rated and didn't hold back the grit this is one of the better westerns in the last few years. Of course most of the recent westerns were Hallmark Channel westerns but even taking those away this was a good western. Even the bad acting didn't affect the way I felt about it. Overall, one of the better westerns that have come out lately. I give it a B-.

My wife bought the dvd by mistake

[xring-51632 · 4/10 · 27 May 2022]

Since she bought it, we forced ourselves to watch. The film was full of mistakes. Lucky for me I watched it while more time was spent doing a crossword puzzle.

THANKS FOR THE WHISKEY

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 16 October 2018]

This is one where we knew the twist before the story got started. The story is told as a flashback aka "Little Big Man" but not as good. Marshall Duke Donovan takes part in a 1892 Arizona bank robbery that goes bad. People are killed. He claims he was coerced, that his wife was threatened. His sentenced is reduced to life in prison. The question remains, "Is Kix a cereal killer?"

Duke in prison. Duke finds out bad guys after his wife. Duke breaks out, goes after bad guys. Prison sheriff and deputies go after Duke. You can figure out the rest from the title.

That is pretty much it. Dark Canyon wasn't very dark, nor was it much of a canyon. The acting was bad. Kix Brooks was pitiful. In the saloon scene when he has his gun pointed at the girl and delivers his lines, I was laughing at the scene. It was that bad.

6 stars for the great sound track, also provided by Kix.

Also released under the title "Dark Canyon"

Coulda been an ok movie

[bsns-85121 · 2/10 · 18 March 2019]

But who was the genius who cast Kix Brooks in the lead role of Duke Donovan?

Whoever it was needs a clue: Kix Brooks is a terrible actor. I have no training but am pretty sure I could do better. I mean please, it was painful.

Hateful Ambush

[kosmasp · 3/10 · 30 April 2016]

How do you make a movie marketable? Well ask the Germans (distributions)! They always think of something, mostly connected to something that is popular at the time. Renaming this movie into "Hateful Ambush at ..." you immediately think, you have heard this somewhere before. Which you'd have at the end of 2015 and early 2016, because of Quentin Tarantinos eighth movie (Hateful Eight).

So the German distribution is looking for the quick money they can make, not considering, what the viewer or consumer might think. Not many will be happy let me tell you. But apart from that fact and it's impact on German viewers, what does the movie have to offer? Not that much action unfortunately and not too much quality either. While it does try to be different and a slow burner, it doesn't really achieve that either

Not just another western

[gala-13 · 7/10 · 13 July 2012]

There is much action and drama in this film. Shot on location in Old Tucson Studios, this movie is filled with well-recognized actors from a variety of genres. This is not just another western. Yes, there's a bar fight,but there's also a courtroom scene in which part of the drama unfolds. Kix Brooks of Brooks and Dunn fits right in with the western theme and does a fine job as an actor, adding to his already admirable professional resume. Courtney Gains (Back to the Future) and Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) shine with the latter being an African-American law enforcement officer during a time in which that was rare. The Chinese laundry man (Paul Loh) is a hoot as well. All in all, don't miss this treat!

"Nothing ever went down the way they say it did."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 28 March 2022]

After an opening scene that sets up the mystery of Marshal Duke Donovan (Kix Brooks) and his involvement in an Old West bank robbery, the film employs a lengthy flashback to tell that story and eventually reveal the identity of some ambiguous characters. Tried and found guilty of robbery and murder, the former lawman is sentenced to life at Yuma prison instead of death by hanging, in deference to his career as a law officer up till then. When he learns that gang leader Levi Hardin (Luke Massy) plans to kill his wife, Donovan relies on the connections he made in prison to formulate an escape with fellow convict, Cyrus Parker (Ernie Hudson). When Donovan does find his wife, she'd already been badly hurt by Hardin and dies shortly after. The expected confrontation eventually occurs, and I had to laugh during the shootout between Hardin's gang and Donovan's bunch, which now included the deputy sheriff (Ronnie Gene Blevins) who was sent out after him following the escape from Yuma. In order to gain a handful more ammunition, Hardin shot his partner Walker! No loyalty there, right?

The picture tries to throw the viewer a curve early on when reporter Jesse Helms (Andrew W. Walker) seeks out the only surviving witness to the Donovan shootout with Hardin, and the reveal shouldn't come as a big surprise. Suggesting that Seymour Redfield might have been deputy Tom Sullivan who was rumored to have killed Donovan and then disappeared, it's Donovan himself who breaks the silence on his real identity. You have to hand it to the reporter for agreeing to keep that secret until Donovan does die; he's going to lose his job over it!

A Cool Movie With Some Depth

[HistoryProdADM · 9/10 · 14 November 2013]

So I saw this movie last fall at the Austin Film Festival when it was called "To Kill A Memory". They had a special showing. Kix Brooks was there with the Director and some of the Actors. In short, the film really surprised me. Not so much because they pulled off a cool movie on a small budget, but because the film wasn't your typical western. It was told as a flashback and really took you on a journey. After the festival, I wondered what had happened to it and was happy to see that it will be out as a limited theatrical in January. Their website also says it'll be out on DVD as a 2 disk set with the soundtrack CD included. The music in the film was awesome!! Kix Brooks talked about doing the music for the film at the festival. If you're a fan of country music, or great music in general.. you'll love this. Coincidentally, I reviewed another film the director did a few years ago called the Gundown. I liked it because they dared to try and make a movie on a shoestring, but this movie is a cut-a-bove it. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed. Great Cast, cool locations. The indi-film spirit is alive and well with this film.

Where is she

[Jima-36-585491 · 6/10 · 10 March 2022]

The only reason I wanted to watch this movie was to see Sydney Penny. But she had only about five minutes in the whole thing. Disappointed.

This last sentence is to fill out the minimum character requirement.

A solid effort for a 'B Western'

[csparty-78098 · 6/10 · 25 December 2021]

I find many of the low budget Westerns from the last decade are just downright unwatchable. This was an exception. Solid story, decent acting and pretty good characters. For sure worth a watch.

Don't take any notice of the score

[motman-42914 · 7/10 · 7 September 2021]

This is a great movie, well scripted, well filmed, good acting and a damn good story. With the odd twist and turns. I'd watch it again sometime.

Country and Westerns....

[lstroud-1 · 10/10 · 14 November 2013]

I live in Nashville Tn and work in the music business and we always laugh when someone refers to our genre as " Country and Western" - we prefer simply "Country". But with the lead character being skillfully portrayed by veteran Country Star, Kix Brooks and with a killer soundtrack featuring Kix, Randy Houser ( who also appears briefly in the film) and the angelic voice of singer / songwriter Leslie Satcher... I gotta say I'm rethinking Calling it Country and Westerns! Although this was a low budget film, it was really entertaining. Well cast, well directed and full of great performances- it is a really commendable effort from all involved- with extra kudos going to the lead character Duke Donovan - played by Kix Brooks.

There is a great twist in the plot and I found it thoroughly entertaining from start to finish!!

Check it out, it's a great watch and if you like Westerns - then you'll really love it! Here's hoping for another installment of Duke Donovan in the future!

Definitely a movie to watch!

[Yvonnempascoe · 10/10 · 24 January 2014]

Ambush at Dark Canyon is a movie that kept my interest due to the story telling concept. Set in the Southwest , Duke Donovan seeks revenge and brings us into the Canyon with authentic depictions of how it was to live in the time period. It was also entertaining in the sense that it brought me back to the classic westerns with horseback riding, gun fights in mountain side boulders along with very well place thought provoking music. I thought the movie was very well written and it made me to feel like I was among the characters riding in the southwest desert. Whether your into western movies or not; I definitely recommend to watch Ambush at Dark Canyon!

ambushed by a good movie

[thecorsair-00203 · 8/10 · 1 January 2019]

Thought it was a gaga spaghetti job but it was better than that and held interest all the way through. Good stuff.

A Western Worth Watching!

[luann-nicosia · 10/10 · 16 January 2014]

**** may contain spoilers *** I had really been looking forward to watching this movie for awhile. I thought I would listen through the soundtrack a few times prior to watching it tonight, and I am so glad that I did. Wow...I have to say it was one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard connected to a Western film! It had such a wide variety of songs and each added a wonderful layer to the film. I loved all the songs, but especially The Other Side, I couldn't wait to see how it was used in the movie because it really did bring tears to my eyes. This film not only met my expectations but really did exceed them. This film brought together a very talented and versatile group of actors that truly brought this story to life. I was impressed with how easily Kix Brooks has transitioned from singer into a very capable actor able to take on a serious and emotional role such as he did in this film! All of the other actors were amazing also and hit their marks on each of their characters with perfect timing. As a screenwriter I analyze the script and story more than anything. Does it have action, does it keep your interest, do the characters draw you into their world, does it flow, does it keep you guessing until the end? YES to all of the above, it certainly does! And to top it all off you have a wonderful surprise twist ending that you might not see coming. So to sum it all up...Great story, talented and well cast actors, and inspiring music that all adds up to a true western film to be proud of and to be enjoyed for years to come. This film was a job well done and easily one of the best westerns to come down the pass in the recent years!

One of the better Westerns in recent years

[darrylladevine · 9/10 · 1 September 2014]

(There is a small spoiler at end of article as the only part I personally felt was something that would not be done given the circumstances. It will be clearly noted in case readers want to skip that part) Initially I was wondering how they were going to tie the opening in with the rest of the movie, however it transitioned remarkably well, so well in fact when it transitioned back briefly it caught me off guard but once again smoothly back into the story. I found with 1 exception (the spoiler to come later) that the entire story and sequencing was credible enough to actually have some basis in facts. It was an enjoyable watch from start to finish and if you like Western music, some really great soundtracks are worked into the movie. The acting was excellent and you caught up in the characters to the point that if it had been presented as a retro documentary you would have no issue in following it or believing the story/event lines. The movie is clearly defined and you are never left scratching your head (again with the exception of the single spoiler issue). There was no unnecessary gore and even the violence was tastefully done and actually made sense in character portrayal. This is a movie I have watch several times but some scenes though not highly graphic are suggestive and probably best not shown to small children. SPOILER ALERT: The single issue I had with credibility the exiting from a tunnel at night with a lighted lantern, which obviously could have been seen from a long distance off and especially where the exit was located and as the scene unfolds there are obviously people nearby.

A Western with Heart

[lovesgamble · 10/10 · 16 January 2014]

This isn't just your run-of-the-mill "shoot 'em up Western", although the sets, costumes, and gunfight scenes are all extremely well done and authentic. It's also a story with heart.

I personally feel that the measure of art in any form, whether a song, book, movie, etc., is its ability to move me. Inspire. 'Ambush at Dark Canyon' did both.

I laughed (mostly at William Shockley's portrayal of the cantankerous Cage Dalton, lol). I cried…oh, how I cried. And I rooted for Duke Donovan (played by country music star Kix Brooks), and shared in his triumph when justice was finally served.

This DVD/CD combo really is an exceptional deal, as the soundtrack is superb. I've listened to it multiple times already, and I only bought it yesterday, lol. My favorite songs are the title track, "High in the Saddle" sung by Randy Houser, "Other Side" sung by Kix Brooks, and "I Can't Wait" sung by Rafe Van Hoy. ALL the songs are great, though, and really give the film an added richness and depth.

Fantastic movie, and one I'll enjoy watching over and over again for years to come.

Action packed and Awesome music

[angie_oetjen · 9/10 · 16 January 2014]

I bought my copy on the day it was released and got to watch it last night. I cannot believe all this talent in one amazing package. I give it 5 stars +. I am glad you guys gave us the best of both. I was simply blown away by Kix Brooks. He rocked it in every way, shape, and form. I especially liked Ronnie Blevins character as well. The soundtrack that Kix Brooks and Randy Houser did was so incredible and very well done. William Shockley does an excellent job in doing his character as well. I am a huge fan of his. I am so proud of all involved with Team Two Entertainment. Keep up the good work and make some more films for us your fans to enjoy. I too enjoyed it from start to finish.