I have never written a movie review before but this one just demanded one, perhaps to save some other souls from spoiling their evening. I had so looked forward to watching a 3 hour western because I really enjoy westerns. Fifteen minutes into the movie, my husband and I turned and looked at each other and both made a disparaging remark on the movie. My husband finally fell asleep and I forced myself to watch the entire thing. I kept hoping it would get better but it never did. This movie plays like it was produced and directed by a 10 year old. Sure does, right down to the part where the two men spit in their hands then shake on something. The movie is all over the place, no clear direction. Near the beginning, my husband states, "What just happened?" It was as if a scene was added to the movie that absolutely did not belong. The dialog was really very bad. The movie does not give endings to the main situations within it so if you watch it all in hopes of learning what will happen to certain people or of certain events, you will be sadly disappointed. This movie deserves a rating of 1 but I gave it a 3, only because you could see how hard the cast was trying and for the beautiful horses.
33 Reviews
Just a tad confusing
Raymondva197712 December 2018
4/10
AronChapman9 May 2021
This film isn't shot horribly but the execution of the story is a bit manic. The ending is complete authored confusion and was like...huh? But I don't think It was a total loss as a film. With a bit more planning and funding it could have been a lot better. There was potential there if you look past the low budget aspects of it. I kinda liked the bad guy in it.
No! No! No!
petersonsla-873982 June 2018
An example of how NOT to make a movie
devy-7451917 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This is the most atrocious movie I have ever seen. Generally, I don't mind bad acting, or bad dialogue, low budget, or other attributes of relatively poor productions, but this one takes the cake. I don't normally post movie reviews and just leave it up to the viewer to decide if they like the movie or not. But this movie has so many bad directorial and production issues everything that you could do wrong was compiled into this one single film.
Believe it or not, the one saving grace was that the acting was OK, in spite of what the actors had to work with. In fact, Sasha Higgins and Craig Hensley did a superb job, as did the Apache cast. However. it's the rest of the production that let them down. This is just a few examples, but there are many more to choose from:
Continuity sucks. The plot and story line is all over the place. Flashbacks, dream sequences, and other events don't make logical sense. For instance, in one scene, the main character (Jesse Struthers) leaves the tribe, and during his absence, the Army meets with the Indians and gives them an ultimatum to relocate. Later, when Jesse confronts the Governor about the gold mine, out of nowhere it's like...Oh and I want the Indians given what was promised...? He wasn't there during the conversation, and hadn't been back to the tribe since. So what's the tie-in? (Maybe the Force was with him...?) In an earlier scene, Vance Edison is left for dead, and out of nowhere, days/months/years later (? who knows) he comes to life while a vulture is eating his eye. Not to mention his gullible quest for vengeance (of the person who shot his friend...not him) makes him look like a buffoon. And what about Jesse Struthers conveniently digging up the original deed to the mine? Right under the new owner's sign! How did it get there? Why was it there? Not in a box or anything. Just a piece of paper laying under 6 inches of loose sand for at least a year or more? And in one scene, the mayor makes a comment to Jake Struthers about his parentage or lineage (if only the public knew...) but it's never explained or clarified. Are they hinting at another plot line that wasn't followed through? This is just a few of the unexplained inconsistencies in the film.
Crappy editing. Scenes cut to black for no reason. Scenes often don't have a logical transition. Next scene pops up out of nowhere. No establishing shots. It seems as if nothing was left on the cutting room floor. No editorial focus. If something was shot...by golly they're gonna stick it in somewhere, even if it didn't make sense. A lot of wasted footage that added nothing to the story. That's probably why it's 3 hours of incoherent nonsense.
Makeup sucks. The repair to Vance Edison's eye looks like someone put a patch of silly putty on his face and didn't even bother to blend the edges or match his skin color. Doesn't even look an anatomically correct surgical procedure.
Weapons are inappropriate for the post Civil War time frame depicted in the movie. Zero effort at authenticity and accuracy.
And the ending didn't make sense or bring anything to closure. It looked like they tried to make a some kind of ambiguous ethereal statement but, as usual it was never followed up and left you hanging. It's like they either ran out of money, or ideas, or just got bored with the whole useless production and quit. Or maybe someone rang the bell for last-call so the cast and crew left the set and forgot to come back and finish the movie.
Believe it or not, the one saving grace was that the acting was OK, in spite of what the actors had to work with. In fact, Sasha Higgins and Craig Hensley did a superb job, as did the Apache cast. However. it's the rest of the production that let them down. This is just a few examples, but there are many more to choose from:
Continuity sucks. The plot and story line is all over the place. Flashbacks, dream sequences, and other events don't make logical sense. For instance, in one scene, the main character (Jesse Struthers) leaves the tribe, and during his absence, the Army meets with the Indians and gives them an ultimatum to relocate. Later, when Jesse confronts the Governor about the gold mine, out of nowhere it's like...Oh and I want the Indians given what was promised...? He wasn't there during the conversation, and hadn't been back to the tribe since. So what's the tie-in? (Maybe the Force was with him...?) In an earlier scene, Vance Edison is left for dead, and out of nowhere, days/months/years later (? who knows) he comes to life while a vulture is eating his eye. Not to mention his gullible quest for vengeance (of the person who shot his friend...not him) makes him look like a buffoon. And what about Jesse Struthers conveniently digging up the original deed to the mine? Right under the new owner's sign! How did it get there? Why was it there? Not in a box or anything. Just a piece of paper laying under 6 inches of loose sand for at least a year or more? And in one scene, the mayor makes a comment to Jake Struthers about his parentage or lineage (if only the public knew...) but it's never explained or clarified. Are they hinting at another plot line that wasn't followed through? This is just a few of the unexplained inconsistencies in the film.
Crappy editing. Scenes cut to black for no reason. Scenes often don't have a logical transition. Next scene pops up out of nowhere. No establishing shots. It seems as if nothing was left on the cutting room floor. No editorial focus. If something was shot...by golly they're gonna stick it in somewhere, even if it didn't make sense. A lot of wasted footage that added nothing to the story. That's probably why it's 3 hours of incoherent nonsense.
Makeup sucks. The repair to Vance Edison's eye looks like someone put a patch of silly putty on his face and didn't even bother to blend the edges or match his skin color. Doesn't even look an anatomically correct surgical procedure.
Weapons are inappropriate for the post Civil War time frame depicted in the movie. Zero effort at authenticity and accuracy.
And the ending didn't make sense or bring anything to closure. It looked like they tried to make a some kind of ambiguous ethereal statement but, as usual it was never followed up and left you hanging. It's like they either ran out of money, or ideas, or just got bored with the whole useless production and quit. Or maybe someone rang the bell for last-call so the cast and crew left the set and forgot to come back and finish the movie.
Incredible(y) stupid
bcgoff5 November 2018
Sooooo bad
sgj-1157119 April 2018
I'm a gluten for punishment.
bluegray-1935511 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I don't understand those that thought this was a good movie but we all have our own likes and dislikes. If it was possible to give "0" stars I would. At first I couldn't tell if it was a bad script or bad acting. After watching this over a two day period, I decided it was both. Sadly, the arch villain gets away at the end keeping the door open for a sequel.
Worst movie of all time
mn-joy4722 February 2018
where was the ending?
emailrichardanderson-9017510 December 2020
Shooting and Knifing Fightfest
itotita3 May 2018
Wayyyyy too long....if the plot was more coherent they could have done a three part series. Some acting was good (indians and 1/2 of the cowpokes) and other parts just marginal. So, not bad if the budget was under 500k and it was shot in 60 days.
Great independent western with a lot of heart
simonekaye21 April 2018
At the end of the day, this is an independent film, not a big budget star fest. So I don't know what all the harsh criticism is about, but I reckon the one star reviews are from disgruntled crew members, or actors who got rejected, because their comments are utterly unfair, somewhat bitter and quite frankly don't have a lot of substance. I mean who gives a monkeys about whether the guns are 100% authentically period or not, umm... no one gives two hoots about that and most westerns like the recent (highly enjoyable) Magnificent Seven are not remotely authentic! All you need to know is that the acting is solid, the story is gripping and the cinematography is awesome for a low budget, that's what matters. Trust me, I've seen (and been involved in) my fair share of low budget rubbish movies and this one does not deserve to be brandished with that iron. Sure it has its flaws, and without giving away any spoilers, there are some editing issues and a few elements that can be confusing, but no more than many big budget movies I could name (Troy anyone). Look at the end of the day you decide, but don't let what these haters say stop you from watching this action packed western, and if you're a fan of this genre like me, then I'm sure you'll at least love the locations, horses and fight scenes... plus there's an epic stunt at the end which I have never seen performed before and it left me breathless. I just wish I'd been on set to watch it for real, because it was performed by the actors themselves and not an expensive team of stunt men. I for one hope that there's a sequel and I give it a well deserved 10 star for effort, because to make a low budget western of this magnitude takes guts.
It was okay, why the rating was so bad?
DrDumb5 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Can't believe that the rating was so bad. The movie was lengthy like two movies were edited to put together. The plot was easy to understand, although it wasn't excellent, and there were some scenes I didn't understand (maybe I was distracted). Speaking of the ending sparking discussion here, it might be very obvious. Jesse, Jake, Ila and the tribe people might be shot by the marshals by accident before they discovered Cole Roberts told lies. Even they didn't. The marshals might believe that they were traitors that hung with the Indians so they were caught to be executed. Or, the marshals took their word for it, and they caught Cole Roberts. But Jake and Jesse may also end up in jail because the government might prohibit Americans to interact with the Indians especially in the 1800s. Don't expect the movie to be a great one, but it was a good one just for entertaining.
Such a stupid movie!!!!
randyadillon6 May 2021
Disappointing from start to finish
mmalltex14 February 2018
The only thing entertaining was the location and the horses and somewhat the Apache wardrobe. The firearms were no where near the period you have this taking place in 1868-1869 the colt peacemaker didn't come out until 1873 as well as the 73 Winchester, the 86 Winchester didn't come out until 1886, the 94 Winchester didn't come out until 1894, and the composition shingles that were on the roof of Roberts place didn't come in to production until 1970's the storylines were all over the place I couldn't tell what as going on or what was the main objective.... revenge of the father or the goldmine claim or rescue of the Apache wife or reuniteing of the brothers, and the dialogue! Ghastly
So bad...
rich73544 October 2019
It's ROFLMAO funny... for a while.
Then it just becomes painful.
Though cliched, the overall plot is not too bad; but the horror is in the details.
Atrocious dialog.
Even worse acting.
Cinematography that will make cringe.
Just say no, or only watch about 15 minutes for a good laugh.
Just say no, or only watch about 15 minutes for a good laugh.
Washed up
tandn-866-20037710 July 2021
When they buried their dead in a desert run off wash, they lost us. Failure by Ovation aired a 2 hour portion, that fades to black ni indication of a part 2 2hrs. Guide has same info for both parts without clarity so some only see half the movie. Part 2 second 2 hrs ends same fade to black, cutting off the ending on Ovating for promos of other programs. Leads to confusion & the waste of time comments. Directors cut may be warranted to finally know the entire story. A awful job by cable tv editors & guudeprogrammers.
Way too long for the plot
folco-nolte-248-34080825 March 2020
Someone here wrote that this film attempts to combine a lot of western related historical themes into a single plot. This viewer is right. We can see frontier family blood feuds, land claim disputes, organized crime, political corruption, Native American culture and conflicts. Despite the flashbacks... or maybe because of them... I didn't find the plot confusing. However, I do think less story would have been more!
Though I was looking forward to watching a long western I do think this story is way too long for one movie. It's dragging and it suffers from poor acting. I didn't even mind that the firearms didn't fit the time the story took place in. But it literally did hurt watching the very stupid and naive main character tumbling from one mishap into the next.
Three hours I will never get back
wwwallmark9 January 2022
Second worst Western ever with the worst writing ever. It manages to hit every possible cliche for the genre. Confusing. All over the place. I tried hard to sit through to the end, but had to give up for the sake of my sanity about 3/4 of the way through.
Waste of 3 hours
ibferencd12 December 2019
If you want to waste 3 hours watch this. Spent two days watching this movie. When it ends I thought that can't be the ending of the movie. Pushed rewind thinking I missed something.
NOPE... Worst ending I've ever seen.
What a Mess
neilclough8 July 2022
3 hours of poor acting in a film with no structure or meaning. The story is so far-fetched and many of the actions taken by the actors are bizarre to say the least. The ending is ridiculous and leaves you wondering what the hell just happened?
Save yourself the effort and don't waste 3 hours of your life watching this rubbish or even worse, trying to make sense of it.
Save yourself the effort and don't waste 3 hours of your life watching this rubbish or even worse, trying to make sense of it.
Film attempts to cover many themes in its plot
bghilliotti22 March 2018
This film attempts to combine a lot of western related historical themes into a single plot. These include frontier family blood feuds, land claim disputes, organized crime (as it existed in the frontier days), political corruption, and Native American culture and conflicts. Many people will find the plot confusing. I personally felt that the film did manage to pull it off, but I can see why many would get confused and loose interest. Brian Ghilliotti
A movie without an ending and in general just a mess.
minunimion12 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
ALERT SPOILER!
Disappointing! It wasn't really a bad movie, but at 1:49:22 it started to be a mess, with no logic, no sense. Three men might shoot a man, who was riding towards them with the aim of killing them, and they were pointing their guns at him, and they waited for that very man to have shot and wounded one of them, then the same thing happened without any of them shooting him back. Why? No idea. Another thing I didn't like was the interruption between a scene and another one. It lacked of continuity. Going on, everything was absolutely confused, it seemed that at one point they didn't know what to do further and they shot as they could, putting the scenes one after another one without knowing exactly what they were doing. Before the end the stupidity reached the maximum level... he was surrounded and he asked for freeing his wife in change of a paper that he clearly showed. Why not killing him and taking that paper? No, it didn't happen, they released his wife and then they took him... seriously? The ending was horrible and absolutely inexplicable, the villain escaped from his fate and the good Apaches probably killed, I write probably, because ends up meaningless, as if they've run out of money to shoot any more.
3 stars and sorry, not recommended.
Disappointing! It wasn't really a bad movie, but at 1:49:22 it started to be a mess, with no logic, no sense. Three men might shoot a man, who was riding towards them with the aim of killing them, and they were pointing their guns at him, and they waited for that very man to have shot and wounded one of them, then the same thing happened without any of them shooting him back. Why? No idea. Another thing I didn't like was the interruption between a scene and another one. It lacked of continuity. Going on, everything was absolutely confused, it seemed that at one point they didn't know what to do further and they shot as they could, putting the scenes one after another one without knowing exactly what they were doing. Before the end the stupidity reached the maximum level... he was surrounded and he asked for freeing his wife in change of a paper that he clearly showed. Why not killing him and taking that paper? No, it didn't happen, they released his wife and then they took him... seriously? The ending was horrible and absolutely inexplicable, the villain escaped from his fate and the good Apaches probably killed, I write probably, because ends up meaningless, as if they've run out of money to shoot any more.
3 stars and sorry, not recommended.
Hugely entertaining and gripping!
craigold8 February 2018
A very well-written and well-acted, beautifully produced story that moves fast and rides hard-but stops here and there for some truly awesome moments of drama, and even some humor in well-placed spots. There are certain scenes and shots that literally made me and my fellow viewers gasp. Satisfying and well-rounded in the classic Western style but with some new twists. The cinematography captures the epic sweep of the Old West and the characters are larger than life but in a very authentic way, the way a great Western should be. I highly recommend it!
Superb Intense Storyline
lewisdrives7 February 2018
My cousin has a small part in the movie as an Apache warrior and of course I wanted to see the movie with him in it and being a western fan I just had to buy the DVD. I watched the movie the same day it arrived at my doorstep and ended up watching the movie twice, back to back. Then two days later, I watched it again. It was that good!!! The acting was excellent along with the location choice and with mind blowing cinematography that captures the real feeling of the old west! If you like westerns, especially with a superb intense storyline and a true to the period authentic setting it's a must see!!!
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