Gunslingers
"Gunslingers" is probably best holstered by all but the most ardent of Western and Nicolas Cage devotees.
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I can’t in good conscience tell y’all that “Gunslingers” (available in select theaters and on VOD beginning Friday, April 11) is a good movie, but I can tell you it’s a stupidly entertaining one which I had a fun time watching.
It’s 1907 and Thomas Keller (Stephen Dorff) is a wanted man seeking refuge in the “subtly”-named Redemption, Ky., a community comprised of reformed criminals. Jericho (Costas Mandylor) oversees the town and makes sure everyone stays on the straight and narrow. Other denizens of Redemption include Jericho’s daughter Bella (Scarlet Rose Stallone, one of Sly’s progeny), gravelly-voiced gambler and Bible-beating pacifist Ben (Nicolas Cage) and escaped railroad builder Lin (Tzi Ma, rocking a ridiculous wig).
Trouble comes to town in the form of Thomas’ brother Robert (Jeremy Kent Jackson) – the former accidentally left the latter for dead after the botched job that earned Thomas his infamy. To add insult to injury Robert also lost an eye in the skirmish, so he’s understandably pissed and is collaborating with the authorities to bring his brother in dead or alive.
Robert’s wife Val (Heather Graham) also arrives in Redemption with their daughter Grace (Ave Marie Tadross) in tow to warn Thomas of her husband’s intentions.
“Gunslingers” is written, produced, edited and directed by Brian Skiba (whom I interviewed here back in 2023 in conjunction with the release of “Dead Man’s Hand” (my review), another Western starring Dorff). This Southern (the Kentucky locale makes it so) of a siege picture is an improvement on its predecessor. Much of this is attributable to some pretty slick shoot-outs, a sick score from Filter frontman Richard Patrick (he previously scored Skiba’s “The 2nd” and “Pursuit”) and the unhinged, mega-acting presence of Cage.
Cage’s role hovers somewhere between supporting and cameo, but he makes his presence felt by sporting crucifix shades and laryngitis vocals (seriously, my throat hurt listening to him). Cage is also hilarious spouting minstrel show-sounding dialogue, i.e. “Good gawd, y’all! Jesus, help me! Help me, Jesus!,” like he’s some sort of demented cross between Edwin Starr’s song “War” and the drunk version of Anthony Michael Hall’s Gary Wallace from “Weird Science.”
“Gunslingers” isn’t especially well-written nor acted and is likely only for the most ardent of Western and Cage devotees. I’m both and am therefore giving it the most lenient of recommendations.