After 4 Free Previews last week, I broke down & bought tickets to what's touted a "A Big Box Office HIT" the last 2 weeks here.

GLAD I got those Free Ones in Earlier..as this Well-Filmed AND Acted Movie ended up with a REALLY Suck-y Ending. (IF you don't like Disappointing Endings, read NO further than "This Baby only rates 5-outta-10" & save your time for Better Fare.)

Like a Great "Shaggy-Dog-Story" (Using Horses) there ARE Great Villanous Desperados woven all through it! (Russell Crowe being Their Leader: Cocky, Lady-Magnet, Well-Biblically-Schooled, Anti-RRs and Pinkertons, Man-with-a-Cause AND a Gold-Crucifix-Handled 6-Shooter.) He's essentially The Nicest Gut-Shootin' Bandito you'll Ever Meet!

There's also The Poor-Rancher Guy (Whose Name I didn't Catch, Stage or Screen, alas) hassled by the Evil Town Bankers who want him OUT because his farmland's worth More to sell to the RailRoads that are a-comin' 'round the bend.

Crowe-&-Villainous-Co. somehow successfully hold up a well-defended Stagecoach (even defeating a Gattling Gun aboard!), then celebrate in the Nearby-Town (A very-scruffy Dirt-Main Street Billings, Montana), after sending Sheriff & Posse the other way. Crowe's Men vamoose to the 4 Winds after splittin' the loot, while Crowe, Artistically-Bent, beds a Saloon Gal & does some fine Figure-Sketching. He, alas, doesn't figure the Sheriff figures it all OUT & returns with The Posse in time to catch him.

Remainder of The Movie's about Transporting Bad-Guy Crowe to the Neighboring Town of Yuma, where the RR's ALREADY There, Before Crowe's Crew regroup & come to his rescue. (They seem to Re-Group MIGHTY Fast, in spite of no Cell Phones bein' invented Back Then...)

The Director seems Hell-bent on making this a Movie about "Honor" and "What's a Man's Word WORTH?" He regrettably ends up with a WAY Too-"Hollywood Ending" & The Usual Kid yelling "PA...PA...PA"
as the Bullets-Fly & The Blood Flows & The Train Puffs-on-Thru.

(NO Audience Applause was heard as This Turkey ended its Flight.)

I give it a begrudging "5-Outta-10" 'cuz Russell Crowe IS a Lot of Honest, Villainous FUN. "PA" & All The Cast did FINE Acting Jobs, Filming, Sets, and Scenery are First-Rate. I enjoyed ALL but the Last 5 Disappointing (& Crucial) Minutes of it, which was like a BIG Spur in a Nice Big Colorful Helium Balloon. Enough Said, You've been Warned. Pardners!

JMO! Keep-or-Sweep,
Big Hugs,
Stan