Evenstar Films, Film Science, Harmony Productions
Paul Dano, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson, Neal Huff, Zoe Kazan, Tommy Nelson, Will Patton, Rod Rondeaux, Michelle Williams
The year is 1845 and a group of settlers are travelling the Oregon Trail. They’ve hired Stephen Meek (Bruce Greenwood) to lead them. Meek says he’s familiar with the area and knows a shortcut across the Cascade Mountains. Taking an unmarked trail, and blazing it most of the way, Meek gets them into a lot of trouble. The become horribly lost, and many people died as a result of a lack of water and the extreme hardship of the trail. As things become worse, a native american crosses their pass, and since Meek has proven to be unreliable, the men are considering trusting the Native American to be their guide and help them find water. But the Native Americans are fierce warriors and enemies of the people and they’re not sure who to trust. Based on a true story, this is the story of some of the first pioneers to cross the Oregon Trail.
This is a western adventure. It should have been much better, but there are several problems. First is the historical accuracy of the story. The travelers are very cruel and mean to the guide. There is no indication that this was the case. Also it builds to a very anticlimactic and abrupt ending which is not warranted. There is a bit more to the story that should have been told and there should have been an ending. There is a point where one of the boys discovers some gold. This is what has been come to be knwn as the Blue Bucket Lost Mine. For years afterward people tried to rediscover this location that was filled with gold, but it has never been found. In order to learn of the history, you have to look outside the film. There is only a single scene here that is never revisited, but it was one of the great mysteries of the trip across the mountains.
That being said, it’s not all bad. The scenery is beautiful and the acting is certainly acceptable. It’s a good western adventure and worth watching. But be sure to look up the facts of Meek’s Cutoff and the history of these people for the background of the story. It’s a fascinating story. The movie is relatively exciting, and fun to watch, and it got me interested in studying more about the events of the story. Decent adventure and well worth my time.
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