Angel and the Badman

Back many decades ago, Hollywood produced many westerns including "Stagecoach" '39, "High Noon" '52, "Rio Bravo" '59, "The Searchers" '56, "Shane" '53 "The Alamo" '60, etc, and since then, we have seen a resurgence of this genre, i.e. "Hell or High Water"'16  , "No Country for Old Men" '07 and others. So now we have "Angel and the Badman" to sink our teeth into.

When feared outlaw Quirt Evans (Zachary Levi) staggers onto a rancher's land with a bullet in his back, he expects a quick death, not mercy. But Penny Worth (Meg Fraser), the rancher's daughter, offers him a chance at something he's never had: a life beyond violence. However, the past doesn't forgive. With the Marshal (Tommy Lee Jones) closing in and an outlaw gang headed up by Laredo (Neal McDonough) ready to burn the ranch to the ground, Quirt must decide what kind of man he'll be when the world demands blood. 

Others to round out the cast are Jean Louisa Kelly as Irene Worth, Penny's mother, Barrett Ellis Luca as Johnny Worth, Penny's brother, Melissa Chambers as Harriet, Maurice Greene as Tully, Jesus Carus as Hondo, Sean Bridgers as Deputy Eli, Manny Greenfield as Dr. Mangram and Eric T. Esparza as Nelson. 

This classic western was directed with grit and familiarity by Julio Quintana ("The Vessel" '16, "Blue Miracle" '21, "The Long Game" '26) plus shorts. This was formatted in a way that one could feel that they were viewing an older western film where there was a definite distinction between the 'good guy' and the 'bad guy' which made it a much more welcoming script going back to simpler days. His staging and pacing were expressly spot on as well. It was well executed by writers Kevin M. Townsend, Christopher Tuffin and Jaime Hernandez.Usually, my formula for a better script is for there not to be any more than two writers on the project, but with this, having an extra writer didn't really hamper it, especially since none of these writers have extensive experience in the writing realm. The best thing about this writing, as like the directing, was that it was formatted in a classical western feel of a film. It simply took me back to a simpler day of going to the movies and enjoying a western, with a newsreel, cartoons and popcorn. It wasn't a complicated plot, but that's part of its charm. Other than a couple of places of inconsistencies, this was surely the film it was meant to be. 

If you like westerns, or even more to the point, if you yearn for the old-fashioned type western, this should be a real treat. The stars, Zachary Levi, Neal McDonough, Tommy Lee Jones and Meg Fraser all were believable in their respective characters. It's a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                        Rated: PG-13                                 107mins.