What makes it different from others?

It is a performances centric movie

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Judging by the cast list, this looks like it was very much a family affair, with Barry Van Dyke in the lead role as bounty hunter Frank Allison, and his sons Shane and Carey portraying members of outlaw Lee Horn's (Geoff Meed) gang, Chris and Joe Beall. Financing for the movie was provided by Frank's dad, Dick Van Dyke, which had me searching my memory to recall if he ever appeared in a Western himself. Possibly one of the few big name celebrities who haven't done so.I didn't know anything about the production company, The Asylum, going in, and from reading other viewer comments it appears it's a cheapie film outfit that's had it's share of hits and misses. I didn't think this one was too bad, though it's routinely formulaic and pretty much a by the book Western effort. Sage Mears, who has the revenge seeking female role as Selina Stevens, has a look that one has to consider whether she's attractive or not, sort of like Sondra Locke in any number of her roles. For the most part I'd say she's pleasing to the eye, but not very credible as a female gunslinger, though I don't think that's the impression the director was trying to achieve. What she needed to do was pick up the gun and fire it straight ahead at a live target, which she managed to do successfully a couple times when it came time for the final showdownI did have to wince during a conversation Frank Allison had with Sheriff Barr (Greg Evigan) when they were discussing a location bordered by the Gila Trail. Both men pronounced the word as 'guy-la' instead of 'hee-la', as in Gila Monster. That was just such a bad pronunciation I had to laugh to myself. I mean, how could they get that one wrong in a Western.And speaking of Evigan's character, he was just such a wuss of a sheriff I didn't mind it too much when the bad boys mocked him before taking him out. That pretty much cut down the odds against Allison as five against one, let's say two if you count the inexperienced Selina Stevens. Allison had a good point about her being married to a former lawman and not knowing how to use a gun. Considering that Will Stevens (Brian Wimmer) didn't make much of a stand against Horn and his henchmen, I guess that wasn't a surprise. Fortunately, an element that didn't show up here was a clichéd romance between the embittered Selina and her gun slinging mentor, that would have made the story a lot harder to take.

I usually avoid reading reviews, especially when the reviewers mark a film as dreadful. So I had to step in and give the film a chance to be considered. Overall, the film captured much of the "look" of a frontier town. Yes, low budgets have less finesse than some, but they carried it off well. Money isn't everything. The mood of the film was expressed well. Costumes and sets were fine. Most viewers don't notice details anyway. Acting and casting was right for the mood the writer was trying to portray. I like the fact that a wife wanting revenge takes action, uses her resources, and doesn't completely give up. Some role reversals were a nice touch, and I enjoyed the soundtrack. Reviewers don't need to beat a film senseless to make their points. Even John Wayne made a few early b&w films that hold merit today. Westerns will survive.

I watched this while having a bad day and still found it mildly entertaining, and that's saying something, as I'm not easily-pleased with B-grade movies. Low-budget, sure. Predictable plot, yeah. But the acting was decent. Nice to see Greg Evigan as the sheriff (I remembered him from B.J. and the Bear some 30 years ago, and hardly recognized him.) Sage Mears as the female lead was rather easy on the eyes, and believable. Her character didn't suddenly become the fastest gun alive after taking shooting lessons, which would seem to be the norm for this type of Western revenge genre. She learned how to hold a gun and pull the trigger, but not a whole lot more. There were a few anachronistic-type flaws, as has been pointed out, but they were easily overlooked. I'm not going to recommend that you make a special trip to the video store. But if you're in the mood for a Western, I've seen much worse. (Try sitting through a Dwight Yoakum Western and see what I mean.)

The acting was worst than a middle school Drama Club. Sock puppets show more emotion than anyone in the cast. The town and props were abysmal. In the days before Cowboy Action Shooting you could have gotten away with this due to cost, but when there is a cottage industry dedicated to making quality western wear at affordable prices, the only plus was nobody was wearing Levi's and Lace-up Justin Ropers. Nothing about this movie was worth watching it for free. I should have spent the time poking a mean dog with a sharp stick.P.S. Sage Mears should look into porn, but I don't think she has the acting chops.