Ed's Review Dot Com

Larry Levinson Productions, Alpine Medien Productions, Hallmark Entertainment

Lou Diamond Phillips, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Majors, Richard Tyson, Marina Black, Warren Stevens, Jonathan Murphy, David Shackelford, Casey Sander, Tracey Walter, Buck Taylor, Tom Everett, Spencer Redford

Keenan Deerfield (Lou Diamond Phillips) is a recently paroled prisoner who arrives in a mining town looking for work and a chance to go straight. There he meets Christine Beckford (Marina Black) a woman in an abusive relationship with a drunkard and Keenan has to step in to protect her which causes him a lot of trouble. Aside from this there’s the owners of the mining operation who are corrupt and also unhappy to have a new guy in town. Lee Majors plays the Marshall who tries to keep things in line, but is just not able to stop all the bad guys. Ernest Bornine is Eugene, a crusty old peddler and rancher who is not afraid of the bullies and makes friends with Keenan and Christine.

This is a made for TV (Hallmark) film and the most annoying thing is the fade outs at the end of the scenes where commercials are supposed to be inserted. It’s amazing how easy it is to tell a film that could easily stand on its own as a feature film has been edited for TV. But it’s a strong western film, very heartwarming, and exciting, and romantic. There’s a lot of action and adventure, but it’s a lovely love story as well. It’s nice to see Ernest Borgnine again in a relatively meaty role. And it’s nice to watch a good solid western again. It’s a shame we’ve nearly lost this genre, and when you find a good one, it’s a good thing.

This film is available on DVD, but also on Netflix Watch Instantly. It’s a good solid story to fill up a spot on the “instant” queue or to catch on TV when it’s on. I enjoyed this very much.