The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy (2011)

This movie should come with a warning label – "Don't even look for a plot." I enjoy westerns and always look forward to seeing newer ones. So I had great hopes. There were some positive points. Great scenery, costuming and they shot black powder revolvers so there was the correct amount of smoke. So much for the positive. There was NO plot, just a rambling from one scene to the next which may or may not have been loosely connected. I kept waiting for it to all get tied together, but it never did. That mule had to be the dumbest mule in the world falling off the cliff like that. I've worked with horses all my life and generally mules are much more sure-footed that a horse. I had to marvel at how fast the three amigos could run and leap through the woods, each carrying several huge bags containing jugs full of booze. And all the time, outrunning the pursuing horses. Amazing. Watch if you like movies with dark filtered scenes, dialog that's hard to hear and "stories" with no beginning no middle and no end.

Sadly the least I could give this (film?) was one star. Had there been anything less, I'd have clicked it. I've seen every cowboy ever made and this is right up there with the worst.The best part of the movie was that a lot of it was so dark that I couldn't see what was happening. I understand that dimming the lights is supposed to set the mood but,,,, total darkness??? It was so dark that the plot was also hidden from view. I've seen the sepia thing done before, especially interior shots, to try to give the film a period, old time, down and out, depressed look but in this case, it came off as if it was a copycat move and pressing to make up for a lack of,,, everything a good movie should have. There may have been some good scenery shots but any parts of the movie that you could actually see, looked as if they were all shot on a foggy day, 10 minutes before sundown. The scenes jumped around so much that I couldn't make any connection. And the individual scenes were filled with,,,, filler; unrelated, irrelevant, clock eating junk. In all honesty, I watched only 45 minutes and I had absolutely no idea what it was about. There was no suspense, no drama, no continuity, no plot, nothing to keep me watching.I know nothing at all about anyone connected with this movie, except Buck Taylor, so they may all be first timers. The production quality, sets and costumes were all pretty good. The acting, direction, editing and camera could use a bit of work but wasn't bad. It was easy to see that there was a lot of effort but,,, without light bulbs and a story,,, it was all for naught. I think they all should give it another try, but for God's sake,, next time,, wait for a story. See: Shane, High Noon, Unforgiven, The Tall T, Hondo.....

I wanted it to be good, because I like the Western genre, but this wasn't... I wasn't given any reason to like any of the characters... There were no memorable performances... I might even say it was as bad as "Grown Ups"... You might think maybe the lack of budget caused it, but I think the story couldn't have been saved by a larger budget... Other items to not...... The guy playing Doc Holliday tried to sound like Val Kilmer... It didn't work... The guy playing the Irish guy tried to sound like an Irish guy... It didn't work... Movie just seemed to end without rhyme or reason... And they spelled "Enid" as in Enid, Oklahoma "Edin" in the closing 'what happened to these characters' thing they put up to explain what happened to characters when the movie just ended.

I had seen the short and then saw the film at the Newport festival. A good 'indie' western production and the ever glowing Summer Rain is always a favorite! Eric Balfour was interesting to see in this genre. Rest of the cast was good and nice to see some new Indian actors, who can act. All in all a good film considering the budget isn't nearly as much as big studio produced westerns. I would suggest it for those who love westerns, Eric Balfour, Summer Rain and conspiracy theorists. Great to see Henry Thomas - E.T. anyone? I know he's done other films but he had a meaty role finally. Something that was a bit of a stand out role, which he hasn't had a lot of. When and if it is the theaters, I'll suggest my parents to go see it. It's got a wide appeal as the cast is young and now with Cowboys and Aliens, the younger generation will start having an appreciation for westerns again.