WESTERNS: "Trail of Vengeance.” / “The Outlaws.” / “Homestead.” / “Jane Got a Gun.” / “Diablo.”

"Trail of Vengeance" (2025, Hulu) Western action/drama. Rumer Willis as a widow seeking justice for her murdered husband. Set in 1875, the story involves her crossing paths with a former Pinkerton agent. 



       Yes, Rumer is the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. And I must say, she can act. But not in this kind of trite or hackneyed project. Wasted, promising talent.

       Supposedly woven around a controversial or significant historical plot point by writer Daniel Backman and Johnny Remo (who is also the director), the background story is rendered useless to this bore's plodding pace and flood of cliché dialogues. And we know Jeff Fahey (as the boss villain) is good at mouthing those. 🎭👎🎬


“The Outlaws” (2023, Roku) Western/action. A group of outlaws discover their empty train heist bag and begin interrogating each other in the wild west, trying to convince each other, clear their names, and avoid being shot to find the real thief. 



       The Great Eric Roberts is in this movie! Main reason why I clicked/watched. Eric is a B-movie favorite, uh huh. 

       But the awfulness of this Western doesn't match the “entertaining awfulness” of other Eric Roberts movies that I saw. Director Joey Palmroos and Austen Paul are like slacker dudes who decided to make a movie while massively stoned. I don't know the entire point in this shenanigan.

       The film also features Dallas Hart, Arthur Sylense, Jonathan Peacy, and Celeste Wall. Do you know them? I didn't. Unless they recover in other, hopefully better projects, they are now consigned to career-ending wilderness. 🎭👎🎬


“Homestead” (2023, Sling) Western action/drama. A family of homesteaders taken captive by a gang of outlaws. Their survival comes to rest in the hands of Irene: a loud-mouthed 12-year-old girl who's got an uncanny knack for shooting guns.



       There's nothing to enjoy in this Western cliche other than young Betsy Sligh as the gritty Irene. That's all. Producers have to give the young woman more projects but are worthy of her potential. 🎥💻📽


“Jane Got a Gun” (2015, Sling) Western action/drama. Jane and her husband Bill "Ham" Hammond live in an isolated house with their five-year-old daughter Katie. One day, Ham returns home with several serious bullet wounds. As Jane is tending to his injuries, Ham tells her that the Bishop Boys, a group of criminals that Ham used to ride with, are coming for him.


       The kickass cast: The always excellent Natalie Portman as Jane, with Joel Edgerton, Noah Emmerich, and villains Ewan McGregor, Boyd Holbrook and Rodrigo Santoro. 

       The revisionist take on the Western genre is an alluring intrigue but the slew of plot twists defeats the promising elegance of the story. Yet I refuse to call “Jane…” an awful movie despite the fact that it was the worst wide release opening for the Weinstein Company (2016). For a production budget of $25 million, the project grossed an overall $3.8 million. 🎥💻📽


“Diablo” (2015, Roku) revisionist Western psychological thriller. A man named Jackson wakes to find his home and barn burning; Mexican bandits have taken his wife.


       Mind you this: “Diablo” won the Best Narrative Feature award at the San Diego International Film Festival in 2015. A reason why I don't believe in awards anymore.

Scott Eastwood as the confused and confusing Jackson character acts like dad of the spaghetti Western years sans Clint's charm and panache. But still lifeless as a rock. No wonder Scott is still unknown.

       This movie is replete with “bankable” actors in short appearances: Danny Glover, Adam Beach, Joaquim de Almeida, Tzi Ma. Include the usually good Walton Goggins. But even their presence couldn't save Lawrence Roeck's gung-ho storyline or screenplay, and topsy-turvy direction. 🎭👎🎬


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