A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966)

Once a year, the richest men in the territory get together for a marathon poker game in the back room of a saloon/hotel. On that same day, a family is forced to stop for wagon repairs and take a room for the night, but it's clear that the husband 1) is dying to get into the game and 2) shouldn't be risking the family's savings to these high rollers.

It does take a while to pick up steam, but it's a lot of fun once it gets rolling.

B

The Shooting (1966)

Suspicious Willett and gullible Coley agree to guide a woman who's light on the details to a nearby town. When the woman insists on taking a detour to follow a barely discernible trail, the circumstances get dangerous as they're running out of water, food and horses. They're joined by another of her cohorts, the dangerous Billy Spear, who only ratchets up the tension.

The unease develops so naturally that I could feel my muscles tightening. It's a shame that the payoff is both too sudden and too small.

C

Tombstone (1993)

Wyatt Earp retires and convinces his brothers and their wives to move with him to Tombstone. By coincidence, their old friend Doc Holliday breezes into the same town, resulting in a happy reunion for them all. Though Earp is determined to stay retired, that goal is difficult to achieve as "The Cowboys" gang of outlaws have set their sights on Tombstone. 

I saw this in the mid-90s and rated it a "C," but knowing of its high audience rating and the fact that it's one of Kilmer's most-loved roles made me want to revisit it. There have been several times that I've radically changed my opinion on a movie -- sometimes just because of the mood I was in or circumstances of viewing -- but the discrepancy can usually be explained by my age/experience-level: I just didn't have enough under my belt to relate. That's not the case here, though. The script is especially lacking in depth with regards to the relationships and that hurts the entire endeavor.

C

Bone Tomahawk (2015)

After a primitive tribe abducts three people from their small town, a group of four men ride out to rescue them. There's the sheriff and his elderly deputy who do so out of duty, an injured man whose wife was one of those taken, and a bachelor braggart with the most killing experience. The enemy's location and customs are a mystery to the rescue party and the journey seems to get more difficult by the hour. Yet, they persevere. 

This may not be the most graphically brutal movie I've ever seen, but it's definitely close. The barbarity, however, felt earned rather than "let's see how disgusting we can be."

B

Seraphim Falls (2007)

A lone man in the wilderness is pursued by a posse determined to capture him. He's not superhuman, but he is resourceful and manages to slip away time and again, reducing the number of pursuers one by one. Eventually we find out why he's being pursued and, honestly, it's a simple case of willfully misplaced vengeance. 

By the time we get to the magical saleswoman in the middle of the salt flats, I'd had it.

C

The Old Way (2023)

Colton Briggs (Cage) is a former gun for hire who has now settled into domesticity. He's got a wife, a piece of land, a shop, and a daughter -- in that order. When he's tracked down by a guy with a grudge, he takes his daughter with him to take care of the situation.

It's interesting only because Cage almost can't stop himself from being interesting. Otherwise, the only thing it's got going for it is the novel device of the daughter being a sociopath who needs to be taught how to mimic human emotion.

C+

First Cow (2020)

In the time of western expansion, a cook helps a Chinese man who is running from his would-be killers. They meet up again further down the line and kind of fall into a friendship and partnership. It's an easy relationship -- they're both hardworking outcasts with dreams of success. In order to get together capital, they decide to use Cookie's talents as a baker to make some money in camp. Problem is they need milk for the batter and the only source belongs to the town's Chief Factor.

But that's just the story. The reason I loved this so much is the vibe: dozens of quiet moments strung together into feature length. Sometimes the friends are quietly working around their shack. Sometimes they're dreaming out loud. I found it to be a beautiful reminder of the fact that people have always wanted the same things: companionship and security.

A-

The Professionals (1966)

Rich Texan with a pretty Mexican bride hires a group of men to rescue her from a revolutionary across the border. The trip down is long and brutal. The rescue is daring and exciting. The escape is made all the more difficult for the fact that bride doesn't want to leave.

You see the ending coming a mile away, but that doesn't hurt it much.

B

The Power of the Dog (2021)

Two brothers own a ranch together. One's a rough asshole who holds sway over the ranch hands and one's softer and works the business side of things. When the business brother marries and brings his wife and her teenage son to the ranch, rough bro does what he can to assert his dominance.

Gary and I originally bailed on this movie about an hour in. Cumberbatch, as the ass, seemed completely miscast. Somehow his portrayal lacked the necessary humor and charisma to make his dominance believable; he came off as a petty jerk rather than a source of terror. The whole vibe -- and I know it was deliberate -- was oppressive. But that was due more to the soundtrack and the refusal to bring any light to the proceedings than it was to Cumberbatch's character. 

Once the Oscar noms were announced, I picked it back up (though Gary declined to). I have to say, the ending does help. It's an effective twist -- but it also left me a little annoyed that the last 10 minutes of a 2-hour story should have to do such heavy lifting. I understand that the suffocation I felt is testament to the ability of the director, but that doesn't mitigate my irritation at being forced to feel it.

C+

The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017)

Lefty's a cowboy whose only real skill is loyalty. He's not a quick thinker or mover, but he is determined to do the right thing. When his partner of 40 years is shot, Lefty goes after the killer, refusing to rest until he's tracked him down.

Except for the imperfect hero, this is a pretty standard story. Diverting, but unmemorable.

B-

Yellow Sky (1948)

A group of bank robbers flee across salt flats to escape their pursuers. When they finally reach a town, it turns out to be abandoned... except for a tough but pretty young woman and her grandfather. When the men realize that the two are hiding something, they decide to find and take it.

Except for the rapey/misogynistic sections (and there are quite a few), this is a pretty good little western. The "us vs. them" turns into an "us vs. us" naturally and satisfactorily.

B-

Deadwood: The Movie (2019)

The gang's all here: Bullock, Sol, Al, Jane, Trixie, Alma, Joanie, Doc and, literally, all the rest. The plot centers on the murder of a beloved figure, the presumed man behind the murder, and a witness in danger. But it's really just about seeing these people in this place. It's basically an extended episode and it's fine.

One big complaint: Joanie's way-too-tame peck with Jane. Girl's been in the biz for decades and that's the best she can do?

B

Sergeant Rutledge (1960)

It's 1881 and a black cavalry officer is being court-martialed for rape and murder in Arizona. It somehow manages to be both sordid and sanitized with a bunch of stiff overacting and laughable speechifying. Just yeesh.

D+

3 Godfathers (1948)

A trio of bank robbers escapes into the desert, hotly pursued by the sheriff. Along the way, they come across a mother-to-be whose husband left for help but has surely perished before finding any. Just prior to dying, the new mother extracts a promise from the three men -- whom she has named her child's godfathers -- that they will protect her son. Even though that means they will be unlikely to evade capture, they all take their promise seriously.

It's a charmer of a story: one of those where you wind up rooting for the "bad" guys while still respecting the side of right.

B

The Duel (2016)

Texas Ranger takes an assignment to go and check out a town run by the man who killed his father 20 years ago in a duel. The ranger's wife is sick of being left home alone, so she comes along for the ride. Something weird's definitely going on there. The town's leader (Woody Harrelson) forces his way into the newcomers' lives quickly by making him the sheriff and her an object of affection. It's got a Wicker Man/Midsommar feel about it: no one's talking, but all of the residents have a shared secret.

I think that this could've been good. But Harrelson -- with his shaved eyebrows and snake handling services -- is too weird and the wife's easy switch from dedicated wife to traitor is unexplained. It all winds up being rather empty.

C

Slow West (2015)

When the woman he loves flees to America with her father, a Scottish kid decides to find her. Jay is utterly unprepared for the journey, but is soon joined by a "brute" who offers to guide him west to find her.

It's a thoroughly enjoyable trek viewed in a series of vignettes: the trading post visit, splitting up, getting drunk, etc. It's not a comedy, but there are moments of levity and an economy of language that allowed me to enjoy the journey along with them. The vibe reminded me rather strongly of "The Gal Who Got Rattled" segment in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.

B+

Hostiles (2017)

Captain Blocker (Bale) is tasked with providing safe passage to a long-imprisoned Cheyenne Chief and his family back to their land in Montana. As Blocker has spent his military career dealing with hostile Indians, he has first-hand knowledge of atrocities committed by them and does not relish the task ahead.

Early in the journey, the party comes across a woman who very recently lost her husband and children to a Comanche attack. The woman is handled with care and gentleness -- not just by the military escort, but by the Cheyenne as well. Gradually, the party begins to respect each other and to stand against threats together.

It can be a little slow in bits, but I think that adds to the atmosphere of the film. The fear, anger and grief of the party are palpable -- all performances are top-notch.

B+

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Had to sit in the front row as I left buying tickets way too late, but it was still fun to see this in the theater, especially in the wake of Wilder’s recent passing. Doesn’t age particularly well, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still a whole lot of laughs to be had.

The one piece that doesn’t work at all is Mel Brooks’ womanizing and profoundly stupid governor -- it’s lazy and a waste of film.

C+

The Dark Valley (2014)

An unwelcome stranger arrives in a tiny valley town but has enough cash to secure a place to stay. The town leader and his six sons rule with with fear and sadism, so it didn’t take long to figure out that the stranger was there for vengeance.

The mood was oppressive and there just wasn’t anything to this. Once you understood what was going on in the town and that new guy’s gonna put a stop to it, everything just occurred inevitably. This made for a very boring back half.

C+

The Homesman (2014)

Tons of people are in this, but I don’t get why. Was it a fantastic book? Did it get butchered during the editing process? Did Tommy Lee Jones threaten their families? Oh, it was dreadful and boring and nonsensical and offensive.

In a nutshell: three women are too fragile to hang in the west and go feral/crazy/catatonic. Uh, OK? And then the one strong woman kills herself because, well, I think because she can’t find a man? What the hell is going ON in this story?

Not only was the story bonkers, the film couldn’t find its tone. The theater I was in, which was literally packed with senior citizens, often tittered uncertainly whenever Tommy Lee Jones mugged. It was never funny.

D