Movie Review: The Mountie (2011)

aka The Way of the West, Lawman
Release Date:  2011
Director:  Wyeth Clarkson
Writers:  Wyeth Clarkson, Grant Sauve, Charles Johnston
Studio:  Travesty Productions
Rating:  R
Run Time:  83 minutes
Setting: Yukon

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Plot Summary
Retitled for American DVD audiences as The Way of the West, The Mountie is a distinctly Canadian film that follows disgraced Mountie Wade Grayling (Andrew W. Walker) as he surveys a remote corner of the Yukon Territory in preparation for the establishment of a NWMP (forerunners of the RCMP) outpost. As luck or misfortune would have it, Grayling stumbles upon a spartan settlement of Latvians on the Stewart River, under the control of priest Olaf (Earl Pastko), who not only have something to hide but are terrorized by a gang of Russian opium runners. Grayling, enraptured by the priest's daughter Amethyst (Jessica Paré) and seeking to atone for his past mistakes, digs up the group's secret and goes head to head with the Russians.

Andrew W. Walker traverses the Yukon as Wade Grayling

Review
Director and co-writer Wyeth Clarkson turns his attention from teen noir films to tackle the vast expanses of the late 19th-century Canadian West in The Mountie, and right away I was impressed by the lush cinematography which conveys - as well is it can on the small screen - the rugged and untamed beauty that is the Yukon Territory. I was equally pleased by the authenticity of the costumes and sets, though some items appeared a little too "new" to have been exposed to such an unforgiving environment for any longer than a day or two. So for me, the stage was adequately set for an enjoyable Canadian western that didn't suffer from aesthetic distractions.

The story is a familiar one, of a hero who suffers from being human (and having made a grievous mistake for which he's atoned) given an opportunity to conquer his past while aiding the helpless to a promising future. Montreal native Andrew W. Walker's constant Clint Eastwood impersonation is more than a little laughable as he portrays the gritty and worldwise Corporal Wade Grayling, and although Walker's performance was mostly stiff and emotionless I still found myself rooting for the protagonist as he takes on the ruthless Russian drug runners. Slight of build yet excellent with a long gun, Grayling's success and continued vitality is ensured by a number of implausible plot holes (point-blank misses by the bad guys, Spiderman-like agility, etc.) that are tough to swallow. Cue in those point-blank misses during the film's climactic gun battle, and The Mountie struggles to maintain a decent level of credibility.

The Latvian settlement

The Russians, led by a gruff Cossack named Kleus (George Buza), are a motley bunch who seem to have a hard time committing to any one course of action. For instance, upon meeting Cpl. Grayling they proceed to beat him to within an inch of his life, then invite him in for dinner and homemade apple pie. Later on, they use the priest's daughter as bait to capture him for the purpose of stringing him up, but take their sweet time about it which of course leaves plenty of opportunity for Grayling to escape.

Running parallel to Grayling's struggle with the Russians is his interest in Olaf's daughter Amethyst. Sporting a brutal facial scar intended to keep suitors at bay, she nevertheless captures Grayling's attention from the moment he first lays eyes on her. As the film progresses, she reveals details about her tragic life that only serve to strengthen Grayling's resolve to pursue her affections, which of course leads to the hanging situation I mentioned earlier.

Wade Grayling, surveyor

The performances from the primary actors were decent, the Clint Eastwood-isms aside. The supporting cast is made up mostly of amateurs, with very little in the way of dialog, but they do a fine job of portraying a fearful and oppressed community. A smattering of lines delivered in Russian was a nice touch to lend a bit more authenticity, offsetting some of the inconsistencies in the story, though for all I know they could have been speaking Vulcan.

Overall The Mountie was a decent and interesting movie and not nearly as terrible as some reviewers have portrayed it. If you ignore the atrocious attempt to market the film to American DVD audiences and don't expect an "American" western, taking the movie for what it is, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

For the Stathounds:
Body Count:	13
Explosions:	3
Full Moons:	1
Actors who've appeared on Dukes of Hazzard:	0
Actors who've appeared on Twilight Zone:	1*

^* Veteran actor George Buza, who in The Mountie plays Russian gang leader Kleus, appeared in the 1989 episode Crazy as a Soup Sandwich of the late-'80s The Twilight Zone reboot.
   

Movie Review: A Cold Day In Hell (2011)

Release Date:  2011
Director:  Christopher Forbes
Writers:  Christopher Forbes, Jim Hilton
Studio:  Barnholtz Entertainment
Rating:  PG-13
Run Time:  95 minutes
Setting: California

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Plot Summary
Set in the remote Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1887, A Cold Day In Hell tells the story of unscrupulous businessman Horace Scarsdale's (Dave Long) plot to use a company of hired guns to evict - or murder - the residents of Sweetwater so that his dreams of profiting from westward expansion can come true. Standing in his way are the local sheriff (Stan Fink) and one-time Confederate sharpshooter William Drayton (Jim Hilton), who disappeared into the high country after losing his wife and daughter several years before.

Review
Director Christopher Forbes is certainly a do-it-yourself kind of filmmaker, not only manning the helm but also composing the score, co-writing the film, handling the cinematography, editing and producing - as well as playing a prominent role as William Drayton's pal Travis. With so many irons in the fire, the quality of craftsmanship is bound to suffer. And suffer it does, for A Cold Day In Hell is an absolute train wreck of a film made even more so because of the lofty expectations set by the tagline of "3:10 to Yuma rides up next to True Grit". It's marketing, I know, but in this case it is plain and simple dishonesty. Everything from horrible acting, blatant anachronisms, questionable shot framing, embarrassing special effects, to a discombobulating story line all conspire to derail this film and bury it deep in the annals of Western moviemaking. To be fair, Christopher Forbes appears to be a fan of the genre and strives to incorporate many time-tested Western elements into his story. He's obviously given a great deal of his blood, sweat and tears to this project so it's really a shame that the movie turned out to be as awful as it did. It certainly didn't have to be this bad, and with a bit more planning could have been a passable straight-to-DVD film, but here we are.

Jim Hilton takes aim as ex-Confederate sharpshooter William Drayton

If I were to nitpick, I'd have plenty of transgressions to choose from: close-up shots that chop off half the subject's face; modern floodlights on the exterior of a "period" structure; emotionless performances from many of the cast members that makes it next to impossible to feel much of anything for any of the characters. Instead, I'll focus on the aspect of A Cold Day In Hell that did more to sink the film than all of the other missteps combined - the meandering storyline. Though not explicitly stated in the film, A Cold Day In Hell is actually the sequel to Forbes' 2009 straight-to-DVD effort All Hell Broke Loose. Several character relationships carry over into this film but, other than Drayton's relationship with his daughter, they're not adequately explained. In fact, very little is even said about the circumstances surrounding the death of Drayton's wife and why his daughter Elizabeth (Heather Clark) was sent to an orphanage in Kansas City. Forbes must have assumed that viewers would be familiar with his characters' backstories from watching his earlier work.

The intentions of primary antagonist Horace Scarsdale are also inadequately portrayed. Through dialog with the ineffective mayor Josiah Tether (Ronald Bumgardner) and railroad man Peyton Timmons (W. Clay Lee), we learn that Scarsdale has an eye on profiting from "The Beast", a massive locomotive that will open the West for further settlement. Several minutes of stock footage of a steam locomotive traversing the rugged beauty of the Rockies are spliced throughout the film to hammer home this point. However, it's not really clear as to why all of the townsfolk must leave, or die, in order for Scarsdale to claim victory.

Scarsdale's Company Men invade Sweetwater

Equally unclear are the reasons behind Drayton readily involving himself in the plight of Sweetwater, given the fact that he's essentially a recluse with no desire for human interaction. His daughter showing up in the middle of the forest unexpectedly, accompanied by the sheriff and preacher-man Travis, seems to be the catalyst for Drayton's vendetta. Thin, but ok.

So here I am, four paragraphs into the review, and I've yet to mention Michael Madsen. His likeness dominates the movie poster, so why wait so long to talk about his contributions to the film? Because there aren't any, that's why. Yes, Madsen does have a role, that of corrupt U.S. Marshall Stallings, but his character serves no purpose other than to try to give the film veteran actor credibility. Most of Madsen's scenes are comprised of grumbling dialog with the other antagonists, only once interacting directly with Drayton - in a scene that gives the film one of it's innumerable "huh?" moments. The flow of the story would have been much better served had all of Madsen's scenes remained in the cutting room.

Michael Madsen as U.S. Marshall Stallings in a typical scene for his character

A Cold Day In Hell is not a 3:10 to Yuma nor is it a True Grit. Not by any stretch of the imagination. However, I do believe that Forbes made an honest effort to contribute to the Western genre. Poor execution and limited acting resources torpedoed any chance the film had of fulfilling his goal. Be that as it may, avoid this film unless you are truly a die-hard Western completist. To end this review on a positive note, it was a bit of fun to see country singer Billy Joe Royal cast in a small role as Rivers. Billy Joe, known best for his 1960s hit "Down in the Boondocks", remains active in the country music and stage theater circuits.

For the Stathounds:
Body Count:	34
Explosions:	5
Full Moons:	0
Actors who've appeared on Dukes of Hazzard:	0
Actors who've appeared on Twilight Zone:	0