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Director: Christopher Cain

Starring: Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, Casey Seimaszko, Terrence Stamp, Jack Palance

During the 80s, the ‘brat pack’ was put into all kinds of movies to ring the cash register on their box office clout. In this outing, the rich kids dress up like cowboys and ride around shouting and shooting a lot. You know what? It works. This is an excellent western, with good characters that have some depth and personality to them and action scenes that effectively capture the savage chaos that a gunfight entails (yeah, like, I know…well seems right to me anyway). The script even offers some great comic moments, while staying with the nature of the story. The character development gets a little weak in spots. Phillips character is a bit too preachy and Seimaszko’s is unconvincing, but both were good efforts and only suffer by comparison with the great characters (and admirable performances) of Estevez and Sutherland’s.

Emilio Estevez is Billy the Kid and plays the famous outlaw as a charismatic, but psychotic youngster with no impulse control. He and his new companions, including Keiffer Sutherland as ‘Doc’ Scurlock, Lou Diamond Phillips as the Mexican/Indian, Chavez Chavez and Charlie Sheen as Dick Brewer, find themselves in a war with a powerful rancher, Murphy (a very menacing Palance) after their boss, and mentor, John Tunstall (Stamp) is murdered. The Old West is an area of interest for me, and this movie appears to take artistic license, but still sticks to the facts of this true story, something that anal retentive sticklers, like myself, appreciated. As the story goes on, the battle heats up, with Billy fueling the fire at every opportunity, and soon the young men are finding fewer and fewer options before them.

Wonderful characters, well written and well-played, a slightly far-fetched, but still enjoyable true story, explosive action scenes and a rousing soundtrack make this a top level entry into the six shooter niche. At times, the performers’ accents slip and the dialogue slips into modern slang, but a great a movie nonetheless. Regulators! Mount up!

Director: George M. Cosmatos

Starring: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Dana Delany, Michael Rooker

Tombstone is an excellent western that is based on by true events, and features some of the best dialog ever put into a duster, as well as one of the genre’s best characters in Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Doc Holiday, who barely outdoes Kurt Russell’s Wyatt Earp performance. The captivating story starts out strongly, and continues taut and absorbing until the famous gun battle, but the third act, (last half hour or so) relies too heavily on unrealistic, undeveloped action scenes that feel rushed, though many viewers consider that to be just as enjoyable. It still builds to a strong finish, however, and despite any weaknesses, Tombstone is an excellent film that transcends its genre to have widespread appeal.

Kurt Russell is Wyatt Earp, a bold, tough, former lawman arriving in Tombstone to leave behind his policing career and focus on making his fortune. He is joined there by his two brothers, Virgil and Morgan (Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton) along with his sickly, but dangerous, and darkly charismatic, gunslinger pal, Doc Holiday (Val Kilmer). Tombstone is in the grips of a deadly group of criminals, calling themselves “The Cowboys”, lead by Curly Bill Brocius and Johnny Ringo (Powers Boothe and Michael Biehn) and soon the Earp faction finds itself in an escalating conflict with the group that leads to the most famous gunfight of the Old West.

Tombstone and Kevin Costner’s longer, and drier, Wyatt Earp came out almost on top of each other, and Tombstone has clearly been the more popular of the two. While it does take more creative license with the facts, Kilmer’s Doc Holiday alone, makes this rugged feature worth seeing. It is a must-see for western fans, particularly those with an interest in the historical Old West and those who have enjoyed films like Young Guns.

Director: Andrew Dominik,

Starring: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeremy Renner, Sam Shepard, Garret Dillahunt, Paul Schnieder

This artistic western recieved only lukewarm studio support and had limited theatrical release and the reason for this became clear when I viewed the end result. This is not a mainstream movie. The film’s screenwriter and director, Andrew Dominik, has created a beautiful and unusual movie with many characters, most of whom receive almost novel-like development (as much as is possible in a film, anyway). The acting is uniformly impressive, but not spectacular, though the story did not provide the kind of characters that allow their performers to really stand out. The story is long and is laced with narration of, what seems to be, excerpts from Ron Hansen’s novel. The story builds slowly and gently, like a climbing a wide hill as opposed to scaling a mountain. This is very unusual in this fast-paced blockbuster world and will make some viewers bored and uncomfortable. I liked the movie, though not as much as I expected to, nor as much as many others. The first half of the movie, though original and visually splendid, is too self indulgent. The second half, though less visual and still slow-paced, is more focused and pulled me into the story. The climax is subdued and unlike any other film that I can recall and is followed by a kind of extended epilogue that I quite enjoyed.

It’s safe to say that 2007 will be a year that Casey Affleck will always remember. After more than a decade of supporting roles, this is the year that he got his chance to star. Both in Gone Baby Gone and as title character, Robert Ford, here. Ford has a creepy infatuation with his cousin, the famous bandit, Jesse James, played (as the whole world knows) by Brad Pitt. For most of the movie we watch Jesse deal with the requisite distrust of being a wanted outlaw and watch Robert, a tragic awkward, unpopular youth try to come to grips with a hero who is not what he wanted him to be, and with his own fears, insecurities and desires.

Because this film was so strangely delayed in availability for me, I have noticed the wide ranging opinions being offered on it. Most seem to regard it as a masterpiece and deride those who dismiss it as slow, boring crap. Does anyone else remember Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula? That film (winner of three academy awards for various visual accomplishments) was likewise lauded and trashed. Time seems to have judged it as closer to the latter, as it has been largely forgotten. The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, is noteworthy for having the longest film title in recent memory, but I believe that it, too, will lose some of its appeal over time. It is a wonderfully shot film and an innovative movie in many ways, but it is too slow and flat for it’s story to endure. Duster fans, beware, it will not be what you expect. Art house connoisseurs, it is finally time for you to see a western. Okay, okay, I know you saw The Missouri Breaks. It’s time for you to see another western, then.