Such a frustrating disappointment

Sorry, this movie sucks

Amateur movie with Big budget

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

YELLOW ROCK 2011Considering the cast involved here I was expecting an unseen little gem. It turns out to be more like cut glass. Michael Biehn, James Russo, Lenore Andriel, headline this low budget film. The Yellow Rock of the title of course refers to gold.Michael Biehn is a down on his luck cowboy hired by James Russo to look for his brother and son. The problem here is that the pair are most likely lost on Indian lands. The local tribe needs to be asked for permission to cross their land.Biehn approaches a woman doctor he knows about getting said permission. The doctor is played by Lenore Andriel. (What a looker) Miss Andriel introduces Biehn to the Indian chiefs for a talk. Permission is granted as long as the men take along one of the tribe, Michael Spears. The doc, Andriel, also joins the group in case there are any injured among the missing.Needless to say matters go south in a hurry as the Russo and his men, Christopher Backus, Clay Wilcox, Paul Sloan, Brian Gleason and Peter Sherayko just ride right through some burial grounds. Biehn begins to smell a large rat in the old cupboard.And right he is as Russo and company are really after a healthy supply of gold hidden in an old mine. Guns are drawn and the Indian guide, Spears, is soon shot full of holes and left for dead. The man though is only wounded and will soon return for a spot of vengeance.Of course the old western chestnut of the men turning on each other as gold fever takes hold is used. Bodies drop with finally only Biehn and Andriel surviving to ride out of the hills.I really wanted to like this one, but the shopworn story defeats the film. The look of the production is good, but it cannot cover the plot problems. I would give the actors full marks for effort. A bigger budget and a firmer hand on the direction would have helped.

First of all do not believe anybody that rated this movie as good because they are for sure all related in some kind of way to somebody that was involved in making this piece of crap. There is absolutely nothing good to say about this western. I do like a good western every now and then but this is probably one of the worst I've ever seen. The story is incredibly weak, the dialogs are so lame you wonder how the guy that wrote this makes a living out of what he does. The actors are below average with some practically reading their script I think. The music and sound effects played during some scenes are also very badly chosen. I regret watching this movie so much, that's 90 minutes of my life I won't get back. Avoid at all costs...

I recently rented yellow rock and was surprised. I had gathered that it was a low budget Indie film. It sure did not look low budget. There was a large cast of well known actors, beautiful sets and a clear and well lighted picture. These are things I would associate with "not low budget project", but there they were! Now the story: It is a western in the real traditional sense, but, and here is the important part, it offers a window into the lives of the Native American Peoples of California prior to their destruction. A fascinating, lost history with a touch of pathos for what has been destroyed. Of course, It is not on the scale of Dances with Wolves due to the budget, but it is a well researched and very enjoyable movie. An indie that looks like a big budget production.

"I don't give a damn about those Indians, all I care about is finding my brother and the boy." When Max Dietrich's (Russo) brother and son go missing he sets out to find them. When he gets to the town of Yellow Rock he hires Tom Hanner (Biehn) to guide him to where his brother is. After meeting up with a doctor and getting permission from the tribe's elders they set out on the path to find them. Against the wishes of the Indian guide with them they pass through a sacred burial ground. I'll save you the "western genre is dead" speech, but again this is another movie that isn't terrible but is a B-movie at best. The idea is neat and the cast actually has people that I've heard of but like most westerns lately this one is very slow moving and not really worth watching more then once. Little by little it seems like western movies are starting to get better, but at this pace it will have a full revival in the year 2067. Overall, not as bad as most of the new westerns that have been made and worth watching, but don't expect amazing. I give it a B-.