Really good westerns are really thin on the ground these days. This has become an instant favorite of mine, both for the intelligent (though admittedly fanciful) plot, as well as for the gritty acting by the ensemble cast. This is a slow burner, building up to its explosive ending. I can’t help but wonder if the scriptwriting was influenced by Clint Eastward’s Unforgiven. A widower trying to raise a family scratching out a living on a meager farm. A man with a past that is gradually revealed. And despite it being a slow burner, it retained my interest the way that Unforgiven did. Granted, the gunfight sequences seem excessive, but that is almost a hallmark of modern westerns. There are plot twists at the end, one that is imaginative and almost breathtaking as it is revealed, and the other reminiscent of Cold War espionage films, where the heroes ultimately don’t know who to trust. To avoid spoilers, I will say no more. So I will definitely watch this movie again. It is similar to Unforgiven in that respect also.
