Oi Outlawians,
This is the fourth installment of Project: 100 Westerns. I’m angling to watch 100 Westerns this year, and if you’re keeping count, you can see I’m way behind! 😵
Here’s the next batch of movies, selected on whim and vibes:
#12. Gunless (2010)
Way, WAY back in the day, a teenage me used to riffle through IMDB like I was a card shark with a fresh deck. This was back when the Internet Movie Database was one of the more complete and robust sources of information on the nascent web, and as I was introduced to more and more classic and mature films, I was enamored with the resource IMDB offered. I mention this because IMDB also has pages for movies in pre-production, and that’s how I first came across Gunless. This was before 2005, and for whatever reason, a Canadian Western where the gunslinger is not revered like he is just south seemed like a concept that could work. I took a mental note to check that movie out, then like most teen things, it faded into the mist of memory – however every few years I’d think “I wonder why they never made that Canadian Western about the displaced outlaw?” then subsequently would forget about it again.
So, I was pretty surprised to see Gunless show up across my screen when combing the apps for a weekend Western viewing. I didn’t think it existed!
The movie centers on “The Montana Kid” (Paul Gross), a man who drifts into a very small Canadian town and quickly discovers the residents don’t care about nor understand the Wild West way of doing things. He’s a spectacle to these common folk, and while rife with that famed Canadian politeness, their interactions with him border on scoffing. The Montana Kid, also known as Sean, is dismayed by the lack of urgent violence, and spends most of the movie adjusting to his new atmosphere.
I’ve written before that the Western Comedy doesn’t work as well as filmmakers and audiences might like. There’s a tonal tension between the savagery of the West and humor that does not square under most circumstances, especially under the scope of time and changing tastes. Gunless, though, I think hits the mark and is a legitimately funny and entertaining flick. The use and role of violence is the humor, and it satirizes the Western genre without veering into territories of parody.
Gross plays the fish out of water role very well, alternating between the gruff ne’er-do-well and confused newcomer through just about every scene. When he tries to settle disputes through threat or intimidation the townspeople put him in his place with a quip or a shrug, which totally throws him off his game. The subtext is a gentle needling of American tastes, views and values, and it’s done in a brotherly, amusing sort of way that gets the idea across while not making it the totality of the piece.
I really enjoyed the movie, it’s pretty low budget but you don’t notice that too much between the plot movements and the capable cast. I definitely recommend it, probably one of the better “modern” Westerns I’ve seen. It gets points for originality and execution!
#13. Ride in a Whirlwind (1966)
“They’ve seen their last sunrise.”
Before he was the coolest guy in Hollywood, and one of the world’s most accomplished actors, Jack Nicholson was sort of a writer-producer in the movie game. A sputtering start to his career gave rise to his work behind the camera, and Ride in the Whirlwind is placed in this era, released just a few years before Easy Rider.
Filmed back-to-back with the more notable The Shooting, this movie is like when you buy bulk at Costco or Sam’s Club: “hey if we’re already here may as well stock up”. Featuring basically the same cast, crew, locale and director (Monte Hellman), it’s also considered an “acid Western”, which I feel like is one of the haziest labels in the entire genre.
In 1966, the revisionist Western was just emerging from the studio machine, and its close cousin the acid Western was budding at the same time. Like most long-running genres, when the people who grew up watching a certain type of media begin working in that same arena, they will often try to break down and invert the conventions and commonalities in order to challenge audiences. Ride in the Whirlwind, light on some of the more trippy elements that sometimes define acid Western, is certainly oriented to do that. This is a movie that does nothing to glorify the western frontier. It’s closed off and claustrophobic, violence is random and without honor and by the end there’s no one to really root for. In the era it debuted, it likely felt more grave and important than it would today. I can respect that.
With that said, I didn’t find this movie too engaging or poignant. It’s a poor man’s The Ox-Bow Incident. The plot: A set of three cowboys run into a gang of outlaws, a mob mistakenly groups them all into one bad sect, and the cowboys commit crimes in their increasingly desperate attempt to escape. The down mood of the film is understandable in what it’s trying to do, de-romanticize the Western and condemn mob justice, but the characters, scenery, dialogue and action are pretty bland. This may jive with the acid Western coda however it does little for the movie as a standalone piece. This is clearly a low-budget project, yet the old adage of “desperation breeding innovation” didn’t seem to stick here.
I gave this a pretty low score on the All-True letterboxd, but it’s not overly offensive in quality if you’re looking for a Nicholson fix.
#14. Dark Command (1940)
“You’re fighting for the host of darkness and the devil’s riding beside you.”
You might describe my view on John Wayne as agnostic.
Never really had a high or low opinion of the Western genre’s most recognizable actor. He’s good to great in some stuff, average to whatever in other projects. It seems nostalgia is the main driver when it comes to Wayne opinions, and well, he was before my time.
The title of Dark Command is what caught my eye first. I knew it to be a sort of historical piece on the Civil War-era Middle West region, and I kind of stayed away from it because, uh, the quality and tone of a movie about the happenings in and around Kansas during this period depend greatly on the script and direction. I mean that’s the case with every movie, but this one wades into some murky territory.
Dark Command follows Bob Seton (Wayne) and “Doc” (Gabby Hayes) as they enter Lawrence, Kansas. The two have a bit of a scam operation going, Bob picks fights with mouthy jerks and Doc pulls whatever teeth may be loosened. When they enter Lawrence, they make the acquaintance of schoolteacher William Cantrell (Walter Pidgeon), a surrogate for the real-life William Quantrill, a notorious guerilla fighter that was so aggressive and brutal in his tactics that the Confederacy decommissioned him following the events depicted in this movie.
The portrayal of Cantrell/Quantrill is fairly benign, presenting us with an intelligent man frustrated with his station and angered that a cowpoke like Bob can win a Marshal position that he coveted. Cantrell also is eager for the affections of Mary McCloud (Claire Trevor), the daughter of Lawrence’s banker, which Bob is also in competition for. Seeing no other path for his ambition, Cantrell turns toward a sinister path, attacking and stealing from both sides of the conflict, then using stolen Confederate uniforms to pose as legitimate soldiers in order to pilfer more good and influence.
Despite all this action by the movie’s antagonist, Wayne’s Bob is the primary focus. Wayne plays the undereducated and overly earnest Texan with bravado and charm. There’s a certain “aw shucks” quality to the character that is backed by a large stature and a heavy fist. He is at his most charming when in the presence of Mary, fumbling over words and smiling a little too much, and glowers at the appropriate times too, like when he softly confronts Cantrell about his extracurricular activities outside of the town.
An interesting component to the film are some of the tidbits and footnotes to the production. This marks the first time that Wayne and Raoul Walsh worked together since when the director discovered him in 1929; this film is second reunion for Wayne and Trevor after co-starring in the previous year’s Stagecoach; and this is the only time that Wayne and Roy Rogers (who plays Mary’s brother Fletch) worked together in their storied careers. Also (as posted on reddit recently) there is a really ambitious stunt involving horses diving off a cliff. It stands out in a movie from this era, if only because you’ll ask “hey, are those beasts OK…?”
Despite some anachronisms, the plot of this film hides many folds, and the characters ebb together adequately. Overall, a pretty good Golden Age offering.
#15. Almost Heroes (1998)
Screamed lines, indecipherable shouting, fidgety physicality – in his final role, we got Farley at his most Farley.
A Comedy Western set in 1804, the movie centers on the previously unknown counterparts to explorers Lewis & Clark as they attempt to beat the famous expedition to the Pacific Ocean. Leslie Edwards (Matthew Perry) is a milksop-y aristocrat who enlists supposedly seasoned tracker and guide Bartholomew Hunt (Chris Farley) to help with the mission in exchange for riches and glory.
Imma be frank with you, this movie, despite its premise, cast, director and setting, is pretty poor. It’s fiercely goofy in the way a lot of 90s comedies are, but not misses the tonal mark unlike other Farley hits like Beverly Hills Ninja or Tommy Boy. The jokes are shallow and gross, there’s too much reliance on Hunt’s ineptitude as a source of humor and a real lack of surprises or ingenuity in plot turns keeps the viewer from getting too engaged. Also, the movie just sort of dissipates into what we’re forced to consider an ending – it almost feels like the studio felt like there would be a sequel.
So yeah, it’s not bad-bad, but it’s not good-bad either.
This is Christopher Guest’s weakest turn as a director, and despite some legitimate acting chops in the names of Perry, Farley, Eugene Levy, Bokeem Woodbine, Kevin Dunn, etc. no one can really save this effort.
That said, you can do worse in frittering away 90 minutes. There’s a few scraps of meat on this bone, and I chuckled at parts. Still, Almost Heroes is probably best left to those who greatly enjoy the works of Perry and/or Farley.
Another batch of movies in the bag!
On April 7th, 2025, we debut our newest short comic. Be sure to mosey back for a looksee.
Westward!
~Jamil
