The Gundown (2011)

The Worst Film Ever

Simply Perfect

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

And I thought that "The last rites of Ransom Pride" was the worst western I've ever seen. Well, I was wrong. The one star I give is for the first 5 minutes. They looked promising, but that was it. The rest is one big cliché. The acting, (what acting ?) is awful, and they obviously couldn't afford a decent scriptwriter. None of the characters were the least bit interesting, the only one who stood out was the female gunslinger, but only because of a disastrous botox job. We were also treated to the most unsexy sex scene ever made, and i can't help wondering why anybody thought that this rubbish was worth wasting money on. Low budget doesn't necessarily mean bad, but in this case it fits. I can't imagine what possessed people to write those positive reviews, unless they are all close relatives of the director.

It was great to see a lower budget movie produced with attention to quality actors, quality costuming, quality sets, and even quality music. Yes the movie has some issues typical of a lower budget. You see sporadic problems with continuity and editing. And a few boo-boos with stunts and lighting. But those are sporadic. There's nothing so glaring to make you want to turn it off. The vision is clear from the beginning and despite a few oopsies it's a decent movie. I only wish the DVD cover floating around on Facebook had been used instead of the retro-art modern looking outlaw. At least you'd know what kind of western you are going to view (action and romance and morals)instead of a martial arts testosterone action only flick.

Okay, so I love westerns. There aren't enough of them made today. So when I took a chance on this film "The Gundown" (despite the B-Movie Artwork) on the cover, I found myself really glad I did. Now, before I go further, I will admit that this film definitely had a modest budget. Not because of the costumes (great), sets (great), acting quality (great).. but mostly because the town appeared small, and their weren't a lot of wagons, horses etc.. like you saw in films like Tombstone, Wyatt Earp, etc.. (then again who has studio sized money these days). Still, what the film lacked in budget, it made up for in heart. The Director made you care about the characters, who did a good job making you want to like them with their performances. The movie has a gritty quality to it, with a simple story, yet one you wanted to see play out. One of love, and one of redemption. Overall, I think most people will like this film, especially if they like traditional westerns. Don't expect Jon Wu (like the cover may indicate).. Think more Tombstone, or maybe even Deadwood.. (cause there's a lot of language in this film!). I applaud the filmmakers for taking a chance with the western genre. I looked them up after I saw this and saw that they have another one in production.. will be there with bells on. Kudos for keeping the western genre alive... at least for a little longer anyway!

A really strange film, I could not bear to watch it very deeply and had to let it go. The big flaw with it is the pace, the camera, the dialogue, the moments of pregnant pause, sobby moments that go for too long, that were really not worth holding the camera. Its a mess, c'mon. Its crap. Really boring. Sickly cliché, too b grade to even register. No, its rubbish. The lighting and soft lens in the saloons are over done. The scenery does not vary, the set gets stagnant. The camera angles on the lead brunette are unbecoming and the kissing is revolting. There is no voyeur in the sex scene, its mechanical and droll. I hate this film and will erase it from my memory. I hope you guys have learned a lesson, this film looks and feels like a bunch of work mates hung out for a movie weekend on some hired movie set.