Shadowheart (2009)

Release Date:  2009
Director:  Dean Alioto
Writers:  Dean Alioto, Peter Vanderwall, Brad Goodman
Studio:  Desert Moon Pictures
Rating:  PG-13
Run Time:  114 minutes
Setting: New Mexico

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Shadowheart is described as an epic Western that explores the themes of revenge and redemption. As a boy, James Conners' (Justin Ament) preacher father is gunned down in cold blood by the town drunk/bully Will Tunney (Angus Macfadyen). Swearing never to return until he's ready to kill Tunney, Conners runs off from the sleepy town of Legend leaving his sweetheart Mary Cooper (Marnie Alton) behind. After surviving the Civil War and embarking on a career as a bounty hunter, Conners returns to New Mexico to avenge his father.


Sixguns Says
There is definitely a strong made-for-TV feel to Dean Alioto's Shadowheart. The film is much darker than anything you're likely to see on the Hallmark Channel, but everything from the score to the acting leaves just enough to be desired to keep the movie from really engaging viewers. The plot has a number of holes, such as the clumsily handled portrayal of the issue of Native American relocation, and tends to meander a bit without fully developing some key story elements. For instance, Conners' service during the Civil War supposedly played a major role in shaping his world view and the man that he has become since his father's death. However, only a couple of minutes of the movie, presented entirely in a flashback/dream sequence, is devoted to the war. Suffice it to say, most of the characters in Shadowheart do not receive the developmental treatment they deserve to endear them to the audience in any great way. The below average performances from the leading characters, and some of the supporting staff (Shawn Reaves, I'm talking about you), only adds to the difficulty of really empathizing with the hero(es) or despising the villains.


So did I find anything at all about Shadowheart that was enjoyable? Sure I did! The story of revenge has been exploited time and again, but it's a cornerstone of the Western genre and serves as a great vehicle for this film. While much of the acting was groan-worthy, a few of the performers did what they could to carry the script. Veteran actor Courtney Gains does an admirable job as one of Will Tunney's sneering henchmen and Ines Dali makes the most of her bit part as Tunney's scorned mistress. I was also happy to see Michael Spears (Otter from Dances With Wolves) have a significant part in the film, though his character Washakie should have been explored much more than he was. The grim elements of the plot also made Shadowheart more tolerable, providing an uncommon take on the traditional "good guy vs. bad guy" storyline.


As far as Westerns go, and movies in general, Shadowheart is for me not much more than a run-of-the-mill effort. It has it's moments of suspense, a few thrills, and a couple of laughs, but overall its delivery lacks grit.

Sunsets Says
Review coming soon...

For the Stathounds:
Body Count:	14
Explosions:	0
Full Moons:	1
Actors who've appeared on Dukes of Hazzard:	1*
Actors who've appeared on Twilight Zone:	1**

^* Action flick regular Charles Napier, who in Shadowheart plays the ineffective Sheriff Sanders, appeared in two episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard.
^** Leading lady Marnie Alton appeared in one episode of the short-lived 2002 reboot of The Twilight Zone.