Hickok (2017)
Legendary Lawman and Gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok, is tasked with taming the wildest cow-town in the West, while delivering his own brand of frontier Justice and infamous gunfighter's reputation as the fastest draw in the West is put to the test
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Waste of time
hyped garbage
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Where to begin... I was hoping that the thoroughly enjoyable Chris Hemsworth would deliver a performance somewhere near his Thor persona, but that was not to be. Neither did Bruce Dern, Kris Kristoferson, Trace Adkins, or anyone else live up to previous acting efforts. I really blame the director and cinematographer, for delivering a completely mundane, slow motion, unimaginative waste of everyone's time. The camera angles were mostly locked down, the acting unnatural, the script tiresome, the editing trite, and I completely missed whether or not there was an accompanying music score. I gave up on this train wreck after watching the first two thirds, as the dishwasher needed unloading.
Bill Hickok, appointed chief lawman in Abilene, finds himself at odds with a local business bigwig.This film, starring Luke Hemsworth as Hickok, purports to be a biopic of his early days and his transition from itinerant vagrant to lawman. I have no idea how true it is, other than that it is truly dull. Even the action is unexciting.There is an ill-judged love story featuring a young lady so dour you can't imagine one person in competition for, let alone two. And Hemsworth is considerably less possessed of charisma than his two siblings.On the other hand, there is no bad kanguage, and the film is in focus. I can find no other grounds on which to recommend it.
Take a shot every time you hear the line "I'll put a bullet in ya," or, "You sonuva bitch."Cliche lines and choppy writing leave a disjointed story that provides little entertainment. I found myself actually laughing out loud at several points throughout the film. I am literally in awe of how bad this movie was. Writers seem to be pulling lines out of some sort of machine that spits out western tag lines and hoping that delivery from someone like Kristofferson will help. Poor sound effects and a score that came off of iTunes does nothing to help this already subpar film. Nothing, absolutely nothing was done well. Two stars because you made me laugh.
RELEASED IN 2017 and directed by Timothy Woodward Jr., "Hickok" stars Luke Hemsworth as the titular lawman and gunslinger, nicknamed Wild Bill, who is commissioned as Marshal to tame the wildest cow-town in the Old West, Abilene, Kansas. Kris Kristofferson plays the noble mayor and Bruce Dern the town doctor while Trace Adkins is on hand as the nefarious mogul of the town. Cameron Richardson plays the woman they vie for whereas Kaiwi Lyman appears as Hickok's gunfighter rival. Except for the opening sequences, this is a town-bound Western similar in theme to those Wyatt Earp Westerns where Earp has to clean up a town (Dodge City, Tombstone, whatever). Since practically the entire story takes place in town it's irrelevant that California substitutes for Kansas. It's great to see old Western stars Kristofferson and Dern in fairly significant peripheral roles. Luke is stalwart as the protagonist and the movie really drives home the bold resolve it would take to tame a wild cow-town. Meanwhile the hulking Adkins is formidable as the heavy. While this is a relatively low-budget adult Western (with a little bit of cussing, nudity, covert sex) and there are obvious mistakes here and there (e.g. the kid's bandage appearing on the wrong leg), not to mention the cast probably learned their lines the night before, as well as the predictableness concerning Mattie's kid, the script and main cast keep things compelling. There are several highlights and a few spectacular shots, like the train bridge in the opening act and, later, the moonlit sky. In short, the movie's entertaining for a low budget Western that doesn't overstay its welcome. Western fans who don't demand Grade A quality should eat this up. Keep in mind that not every Western can have the mega-funds of blockbusters like "Dances With Wolves" and "Unforgiven." Just don't look to "Hickok" for accurate history. Nevertheless, I'd watch "Hickok" over the comparatively dull "Wild Bill" (1995) any day. THE FILM RUNS 1 hour 28 minutes and was shot in Agoura (Paramount Ranch) & Santa Clarita, California. WRITER: Michael Lanahan. GRADE: B/B- (6.5/10)