Gunfighter's Moon (1997)
Henrickson plays Frank Morgan, a notorious and feared gunfighter that has lived his life on the run. His face and eyes reveal a man that has been very much hardened by that life. We quickly learn, however, that there is still passion inside. Upon receiving a telegram from Linda, an old lover (played by Kay Lenz), requesting his presence, he abandons his woman, mounts his horse and rides to Linda without giving it a second thought. Upon arrival, he learns that Linda is now happily married to the owner of the local general store. The only vestige of her past that remains is a daughter, who Frank is surprised to learn is his. Written by Dave Gan
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A notorious gunfighter with a conscience who comes to steadfastly resist his past until the true love of his life calls for his help. The feared gunman cannot ignore this plea and despite the danger he will face and in spite of the pleading of another who loves him, he answers the ominous call. This hardened gunman becomes torn by the request of his one true love. His dilemma is further complicated by the curiosity of a smart young lady who admires the legend but is disillusioned by the reality of the man behind it. After facing a near death encounter the gunman exacts a tormented promise from his lost love and skillfully saves a town. His humanity however is the big winner as he sacrifices something more painful than death but finds a reason to live and let live and even more so comes to know even greater love.
I really enjoyed this movie. A good story with some great gun play. I've always been a fan of Lance Henriksen and he does a great job here, as usual. Nikki Deloach was great as well, especially considering she was a young actress with little experience when this movie was made. I first bought this movie years ago on VHS. I sold all my VHS movies when I started my DVD collection. I never could find this movie on DVD. The other day I spotted it on DVD, from Platinum. I usually shy away from movies from Platinum. I guess I've always thought of them as lower quality or something since you can buy them for less. I bought this one and it is good quality. No frills though. No extra features on the DVD menu. Not bad since I paid three bucks and change for it.
Well this is one of those Westerns that seems almost a spoof of Westerns and then surprises you with how much fun it is to watch... over and over again. Lance Henriksen is simply outstanding as the gunfighter Frank Morgan. He plays his role with a sense of restrained exaggeration. Note the way he mounts and dismounts... his conversation with the dog, his eye movements in the first shoot-out. The rest of the cast does a good job in providing Lance with numerous opportunities to sling out some good one-liners. Morgan ends up facing off with his ex-wife, a town sheriff, a puffed-up deputy, multiple bad guys and a long lost daughter. Yikes! This film had me smiling and laughing out loud all the way through. The exaggeration of characters alone is worth the price of the film.
Excellent Western. No stellar stars but lead actor (Hendricksen) and lead actress (Kay Lenz)have a stellar performance. The supporting cast wasn't bad either. Believability waned a bit when Frank was shot and became bed ridden, yet was able to physically overcome both Jordan and Spud, then proceed to take out three "professional gunfighters." Frank's unbeknown daughter spent too much time dolting over him, without really explaining why. The development of Spud was also a bit confusing. But I considered it a western similar to Silverado, without the big budget and well worth watching.