A tenderfoot from Philadelphia, two misfit gamblers on the run, and a deadly preacher have a date with destiny in a boom town gone bust called Big Kill.
By now the age of the Western has come and gone. Its illustrious success taught us much about the longevity of a genre. In this genre, we recognized a time where anything with boots, a horse, and gun-slinging conmen might occupy a place in Cowboy Canon. “Big Kill” takes up that tradition of meat and potatoes westerns by offering the closest glimpse yet of that time when we churned out Westerns. From beginning to end, “Big Kill” services the narrative needs of the genre while still maintaining its humor and technical craft.
Two down on their luck gamblers/gunmen take up with a naïve businessman traveling to meet his brother in Big Kill. They find the Boomtown has gone bust and villainous rogues turned the town to cattle rustlin’. While attempting to save the town these heroes battle a righteous preacher, infamous mercenary, and plenty of their colorful cohorts.
“Big Kill” hits all the marks of a western movie. It constitutes the exact description of westerns everywhere and succeeds in bringing small delight to its scenery. Albeit a little off-kilter in its pacing (maybe to accommodate more of the deliberate deadpan humor) the movie really lifts off in its final thirty minutes to wrap up its narrative. Dwelling too long on the setup seems to be the movie’s largest curse and even then it’s a good curse to have.
From costuming to production design down to effects, the movie is an impressive example of budget-genre filmmaking. While the editing may lack luster the sets, props, and scenery never disappoint. So too, the camera and lighting display proficiency in the technical language. I admit I found myself enraptured by camera angles from time to time as if finding a diamond in a sea of pyrite. This movie will entertain guaranteed.
Available on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD & On Demand March 19th
