Unbelievable no one knows about this film. Very well done, great performances all around.However, John Freeman's performance was especially poignant. And to think he was such an inexperienced actor at the time. His performance was befitting and seasoned veteran. I look forward to seeing him in more films.Very intelligently done, I love how the direction of this film left so much to the viewer. This proves that great film doesn't have to show/explain everything. The violence was inferred yet not glorified nor shown in graphic detail. Thank you to the cast and crew for a truly incredible film. And as another reviewer pointed out, Barry Corbin continues to just be such a pleasure to watch. From Six Pack and Permanent Record to No Country For Old Men, Mr. Corbin always knocks it out of the park.
... View More(May contain a spoiler) To me, this was a very moving movie. All the folks in this town, are caught between a rock ... and a hard place. Sadly, most want to lash out, instead of try and forgive. And, they can't really be blamed. The acting was pretty good, with special nods to Kidder, Stevens, and Freeman. Stevens did excellent, as the centerpiece to the story. Kidder was pretty good, in her best role in years. And Freeman did a pretty good job with what he had to work with. To think of how we would react, under similar circumstances ... it gives a person quite a bit to think about. Most of us would probably be just like the townsfolk. But it all really boils down to ... can we forgive the hurt, and try to rise up and be something better? Or, do we succumb to the natural hurt and shock ... and not realize that, while criminals SHOULD be punished, there HAS to be a limit to the lengths that some would go to. Especially when the crime was not to the extent of, say ... perhaps a murder/murders.
... View MoreThe movie is set in Utah during the Civil War (although no one in the film seems to be aware of this). It is about a Lawman (played very effectively by John Freeman, an actor a very short film resume) who finds himself responsible for protecting a convicted grave robber.That's it. That's the plot. Can an engaging film be made that has unknown actors and actresses in the main roles with this plot? Yes. The story moves along well. The convicted grave robber (nothing as exciting as digging them up to eat them--he just steals their clothes) is played by David Stevens (another unknown) as a not-too-bright little weasel of a man. However, his views on his "crimes" provide some of the thoughtful moments of the film.Much of the film involves how Freeman deals with others in his community--some who are compassionate and others who are not. All of the supporting actors and actresses contribute. Margot Kidder plays Baptist's desperate and slightly off-kilter wife (who he loves), Barry Corbin has a nice turn as the judge who also has his own history he is trying to live with, and Jon Gries (the older brother in Napoleon Dynamite) is a hoot as a hired gunman. Bernard Hermann makes a small appearance. Unusual film in that the major roles are played by people you've never seen, but the supporting roles are done by people you will recognize--all of whom have solid film careers.The "gunfight" between Freeman and Gries is about the best I have ever seen. Realistic.The film score is very nice, and the photography is beautiful.I like films that are done well on little money. This is one of those. It is certainly worth an evening.
... View MoreOn the bright side, mostly grand vistas with generally pleasant and relaxing scenery. You can guess from the title and that it is a Western that takes place in Utah the basics of the plot line. The spoiler is, joke on me, that there is next to nothing to spoil."Watch out now, Skeeter don't take kindly to you digging up and taking his ma's clothes.", if only, but no, the dialog is as memorable as that passable flapjack. The theological question the film revolves around is: Does stealing the clothes from buried corpses force them to attend the Judgement as a nudist? It is a true story, an extremely underwhelming true story that the writer threw some spice on but the direction and acting left me feeling like I had been studying tumbleweeds. Wait for it and wait for it some more, this can't be all there is can it? Yes, that's all there is, it's over, that was it. Wait I must have missed something profound, I refuse to believe someone made a movie about... nothing.If you come up with something, please share.All in all, that heavens I was not born then and there in that mind numbing wasteland.
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