Apache Junction (2021) Poster

User Reviews

Review this title
17 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
5/10
Incessant Background Music
jeepgirl2226 October 2021
The acting is fine. It's the background music. It NEVER stops!! There is music playing throughout the movie, in every scene and often makes dialogue difficult to understand. The music doesn't add to the drama, - it just annoys. Especially because it's really bad music. If I could have silenced it, I would have! I think I would have liked the movie more if that irritating, constant annoying music wasn't there.
15 out of 18 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Somewhat slow paced and uneventful...
paul_haakonsen10 October 2021
Western movies have never really been my go-to type of movies, although every now and again I will sit down to watch one. And as I had the opportunity to sit down and watch Justin Lee's 2021 Western titled "Apache Junction", I did so, mostly because I saw that the movie had Thomas Jane on the cast list.

I will say that the storyline told in "Apache Junction" is pretty straight forward and easy to follow. However, it was so simplistic that it was sort of bordering on being a bit boring actually. Nothing much really happened throughout the course of the movie, so it was somewhat of an ordeal to sit through "Apache Junction" in all its entire run time.

The atmosphere in "Apache Junction" was good, and it definitely felt like you were there in a gritty frontier town back in day. And that particular atmosphere was adding a lot to the movie. Just a shame that the storyline itself was so mundane and rather uneventful.

Of all the actors and actresses on the cast list in "Apache Junction" then I was only familiar with Thomas Jane and Stuart Townsend. However, I will say that they definitely had put together a nice group of actors and actresses to portray the characters in the movie, and the performers did good jobs. Just a shame that they were somewhat hindered by an inferior script.

"Apache Junction" doesn't really have that archetypical Western feel to it, which was a shame, because it could have brightened up the movie in a much needed way.

While "Apache Junction" is watchable, it was hardly an outstanding Western movie, nor a particularly memorable one. And I actually doubt that I will ever return to watch "Apache Junction" a second time.

My rating of "Apache Junction" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.
5 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Another dud
jamesparsons939329 September 2021
Let me preface this by saying I've watched hundreds of westerns including some of the absolute lowest budget productions out there and I do not require good acting, high production value or any of that to enjoy a western. The problem with Apache Junction is its just another modern production with zero character. The direction is boring and the cinematography is non existent - lots of close in shots that are tight on the characters, something that was obnoxious 10 years ago & I'd hope would have fallen out of style by 2021. This movie is completely by the numbers & not in a good way. Its such a drag I tried 3 times to watch it and could not make it through.
17 out of 21 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
Waste of time and money
smokebender7 October 2021
If you're looking for a good western to watch, look elsewhere. Nothing is even close to realistic beyond the horses are actual horses. If you choose to see this movie, plan on asking for your money back.
11 out of 18 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
15min story stretched to 90min
countrygent-6499225 October 2021
My father worked for Four Star Pictures in the late 50's at Apacheland in Apache Junction as a gaffer. He bummed around with the best of them and he would have walked out of this Trace Adkins dud with his #12 boot shoved...... Anyway, we have long ties with the town and it's real history is much richer, more varied and a helluva lot more interesting that a tired 5cent 1930's western movie script that was rewritten on a toilet tank 50 times before it made the 1 a week grind house pulp mill. I've come to expect that anything with Trace Adkins will be in the "Howard the Duck" rack at every truckstop, which is sad because he was just in Old Henry and thankfully his bit was short in that inexpensive masterpiece. I'm thinking Thomas Jane needed a paycheck, thats why this was done, and sadly why his roles have dried up.
8 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Horrible!
mrsmsg6 November 2021
Worst acting I've ever seen. Moves at a snail's pace...the acting is just so awful. I barely made it through to the end...which was also terrible. I'm so disappointed I paid $7.99 to watch this huge disappointment.
8 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Get your money back
jartzh19 July 2022
Looks like somebody had college class project and access to a ghost town and 4 horses. But I don't think the dialog was written by a college student. Sounds like a high school drama group.

If you watched this from a free service then you got your money's worth. Otherwise you got cheated.
5 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Boring is an understatement
Valid_ID6 July 2022
This 2021 movie was obviously cheaply made. The soundtrack is the worst, and IMO contributes the most to boring the viewer. The story is run-of-the-mill, and the evil guy looks like a nerd. A waste of cast, especially Thomas Jane could do much better than what he did in this movie.

As a side note, 2021 is the year of cheap movies sprouting like mushrooms. I guess we can blame the pandemic for that too.
5 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
Ridiculous
cornbread_oracle5 July 2022
Mouse-voiced piece of nothing 'girl bosses' her way through the Wild West. I don't know anything about anyone in this cast, except I understand Trace Adkins is a country music singer. So I had no expectations either way. The female protagonist is either miscast or cannot act at all. At least I THINK she was the protagonist; the plot is so thin and the dialogue so unbelievable that I gave up. All I know is that actress did not have the presence to pull-off convincing me that she could have held her own as a lone woman reporter braving the illustrious characters of the American Wild West. Speaking of which, the aforementioned country music singer was the only one of the male actors who had the aplomb to convince me he could have lasted half a day in the West himself. And he was marginal at best.

Don't get me started on the dialogue and costumes. You'd think doing period piece involves at least doing a modicum of research on the look and feel of time you're aiming to capture. Apparently not, as no effort seems to have been made here. All of the dialogue & costuming reads and too modern. At one point, after I'd lost interest, I looked up and thought hubby had changed to a modern show. Nope, same woman, sporting loose waves and modern make-up, drinking in a saloon with some cowboy. Granted, I'm no historian or re-enactor, but I'm pretty sure women in the later 1800s didn't look like they just stepped out of LA salon with a fresh blow out and collagen injections. This movie is beyond ridiculous.
4 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Not quite a 'typical' Western; very well done
tkarlmann26 September 2021
An unusual story, well acted, and the sets were VERY well done -- with one minor exception.

This is a simple film, but once you except that, the story is quite engaging and entertaining! The setting is as old and creaky as the Old West itself.

There are some attractive women here, as well as the craggy-looking men. Worth watching.

Things That Bothered Me: 1) With all the attention paid to detail in re-creating an old western town, you think they would have caught one glaring, but minor, oversight -- plastic poker chips! Get some of the older type next time, please! You can even hear plastic poker-chip rattle! 2) Typical in a LOT of movies and TV shows -- no one does any WORK -- to earn a living!

This film has an interesting pace -- it is very slow; but it is also purposeful, and I never got bored.

Worth your time!!!
16 out of 30 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Give it a try
frank-liesenborgs24 October 2021
A story about an old West outpost of lawlessness with thieves, killers and gamblers.

Also a story about love, betrayal, sins and redemption.

When the San Francisco Examiner (at that time owned by US Senator George Hearst) reporter Annabelle Angel arrives in the outpost and gets harassed by a couple soldiers. Luckily for her infamous gunslinger Jericho Ford watches over Angel. The rest of the plot is quite predictable but does not hinder enjoying a no-brainer of a Western. The climax is also predictable but there is a nice twist at the end.

The characters' dress, talk, act, and looks corresponds with the impression they should create. The main actors all perform well. The dialogues could have been better.

If it is raining, go to the movie theatre and relax.
7 out of 14 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
Western with modern day characteristics
traceytak15 May 2022
It's not authentic. The women characters have modern day hair styles, highlights etc and the make up would not be available in that day. I sat watching it thinking how unlikely the characters looked for that era. It totally distracts from the slow paced film.
4 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
I thought Apache Junction the city sucked....
frostbyte-180-14847315 November 2021
AJ is sort of a laughingstock city (for those who live outside of AZ). The idea that it inspired a terrible story like this is pretty funny, in fact it's the only reason I could make it to the end.
4 out of 11 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
Decent b western made by its component cast.
b_kite4 August 2022
The action is rather clunky, but the component cast, and good camera work and visuals make it a decent watch. Also, surely to God someone can find something better for Thomas Jane to do in 2022 Jesus Christ.
2 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
It was only Ok
benstewartthehaven25 June 2022
Poor acting poor script but in saying that I did find it kind of funny and if they added a couple of funny moments they probably would've gotten away with it.

I'm a film lover and westerns are some of my favourite but this film was easy to watch with some very poor acting it wasn't one of the worst I watched but if you want a serious gritty good acting film this is fair from that.

I give it 5.
1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
A snore fest made for the blind?
dannyrest15 November 2021
I love a good western but this was not even close to qualifying as one. Bad acting, bad script and far too many dumb mistakes for the time period.

Women with make-up that and multi-coloured hair that doesn't fit the era. Frosted hair tips and highlighting didn't exist yet for hair styles. They could have at least dyed their hair to be one colour for the movie. Square hay bales didn't exist until 1970's. There's far too many other out of place mistakes to list but these ones were the most obvious.

You really have to wonder how dumb or blind the target audience was supposed to be. If you are looking for a good movie or western then keep on looking. This movie was utter rubbish and unrealistic in every aspect.
2 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
A great story and well acted
jeffgardner708-121 March 2022
Don't believe the bad writeups on this film, this is a well photographed and a well written screenplay with good direction. I'm a western fan from way back and thoroughly enjoyed the movie, with a steady story that builds up to a very good conclusion. All the actors did a fine job, see this film if you can.
3 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed