This movie has a little of everything you'd expect in a good western — horse rustlers, saloons, show girls, kidnapping, bar fights, gun battles, and even a town drunk. To top that off, I thought the acting and story were much better than Come Hell or High Water. There are a few exceptions, such as the death of Deputy Tom at the hands of Brown and his gang. But for the most part, the acting was solid.
Like in Come Hell or High Water, the horses and horsework by the actors and stuntmen in the movie is top notch. Even the gun battles are well staged. Both the good guys and the bad guys miss their marks about evenly.
And another thing I appreciated was how the picture was shot. Presented in a beautiful widescreen 16x9 format, you get to see all the beautiful greens, golds, and browns of nature in its many outdoor locations. And one portion of the film in the third act uses a split-screen approach, sometimes presenting as many as three different views of the action at the same time. It reminded me of Ang Lee's work in Hulk back in 2003, though not in as much of a comic book style.
The only exception in shooting quality for me is the last shot of the film from above. For some reason the camera is very shaky as they draw back to take in the scene as the posse finally arrives at the site of the final battle. But the rest of the movie is very well done.
The DVD also includes a number of previews for other NAMPE productions such as Redemption and Come Hell or High Water. The final DVD is also slated to include a behind-the-scenes feature, commentary from the director, and a collection of stills.
If you're a fan of westerns, be sure to give The Showdown a look when it's released on DVD April 21, 2009. For an independent feature, it kept me entertained from beginning to end and restored my faith in the western movie genre!
Article comments
1 - bob handegan
Thank you for a great review. I play Marshall Luke Canfield in the film and had a GREAT tome making the movie. I hope all of your readers find it as entertaining as you did. thanks again
bob handegan
You can reach on yahoo at rhandegan for any comments.
2 - Bob Krouse
Glad you liked the opening music. Tombstone Rhythm.
I wrote the song in Tombstone Arizona a few years back and never did write any lyrics.
I recorded and performed it for the movie, and it was a perfect match, along with Ride With The Devil, and The Ballad of Luke Canfield.
I also played Calvert Brown in the film.
Thanks for the review.
As Always, Bob Krouse
3 - Fitz
Bob H & Bob K... It's easy to write a review when you have a good film to review. :) Thanks for the comments!
--Fitz
4 - Timothy M Hopper
I also thank you for the great review Fitz. I played the younger brother Mayferd Brown. So far we have sold out all the copies that were sent to Peoria and Pekin, Illinois and more are being overnighted here as I am typing this. This was a GREAT project to work for. I am hoping that we get more great reviews like yours and I hope that our DVD sales reflect the passion that we all devoted to filming this.