I’ve said for some time now that I’m a big fan of westerns.
Perhaps not so much that I love just anything tossed out there but I adore the
classic western films that I grew up with. So when a new one comes out I’m
ready to give it a chance and hope for the best. With BIG KILL expectations
fell short, were met and in the end balanced out to make one enjoyable film I
know I’ll watch again.
The film involves the paths crossing of two sets of
characters in the old west. One is a pair of low level crooks named Jake Logan
(Scott Martin who also wrote and directed the film) and Travis Parker (Clint
Hummel). Having just barely escaped from a Mexican General whose daughter
caught a bit more than just the eye of Travis, the pair head north. Along the
way they meet traveler Jim Andrews (Christoph Sanders), a widowed accountant
heading to the town of Big Kill which his brother has written him is a boom
town. Jim is the typical tenderfoot with no clue how to handle a gun and no
sense of how the world around him here is different. Of course the pair will
help him along the way.
Along the way they encounter the usual problems that crooks
out west tend to but with the help of Jim the duo find themselves on their way
with him to see what Big Kill holds in store. When they arrive they discover
that things aren’t what they once were with the mine closing and most of the
town moving on. No one seems to know Jim’s brother, the mayor is out of town
and the man left in charge of keeping the peace is known only as the Preacher
(Jason Patric).
Helping the Preacher is a gunslinger and dapper dresser
named Johnny Kane (Lou Diamond Phillips). Kane is prone to talking about his
notoriety and disappointed when both Jake and Travis say they’ve never heard of
him. It isn’t long before someone ends up on the wrong end of the guns of
Preacher and Kane. They suggest the trio move on but Jim insists on staying
until he can talk to the mayor about his brother and his companions decide to
stick around and keep an eye on him.
While they await the mayor’s return Travis catches the eye
of a local wild woman who tends to toss men around most of the time. Jake plays
cards and not well. And Jim meets and falls for Josie Strong (Elizabeth
McLaughlin) the daughter of the general store owner.
The mayor eventually returns and Jim discovers that low and
behold it’s his brother! But he’s not the same honorable man he once was.
Between plans he’s made to get the railroad to detour through Big Kill and
hiring the Preacher and his goons to protect the town he disappoints Jim. In
spite of this and in an attempt to set things straight, the mayor tries to fire
the Preacher. For his actions the Preacher hangs him where the entire town will
find him.
Now with no one to stand up for the rest of the town Jim
must make a decision. Does he stay and try to complete the saving of the town
set in place by his late brother, knowing he will be forced to take on the
Preacher or does he leave town tail between his legs? I think you know the answer.
Many of the themes and plot devices used here have been done
before but honestly that holds true with many westerns. It’s not the story so
much as the method it is told that makes various westerns good or bad. This
film holds true to that. The bad moments are small insignificant items that
will catch the eye of western fans but not everyone. But the good moments more
than make up for that.
In particular my favorite moments are those that involve the
trio of friends riding across the western landscape with a great score being
played that reminds you of the best westerns ever made. It’s the smaller
moments that tend to bog things down a tad.
All involved turn in great performances but the one worth
mentioning the most is that of Sanders. Prior to this film my only exposure to
his work was on LAST MAN STANDING as the loveable yet simple minded Kyle. Here
he again plays an innocent but at the same time offers more depth than we
usually get from him on TV. I hope he continues to work on the side like this.
Also of note is Patric whose career has had plenty of ups and downs. He does a
great job personifying evil here.
It’s sad that westerns are limited more often than not to
direct to DVD release or find themselves hitting theaters only once every 5
years or so. There is a rich treasure still to be mined there and film makers
would do well to realize this. Until then we can enjoy films like this one,
well worth taking the time to watch and adding to your collection.
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