The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Dennis Cole is Stephen Bancroft, a sign-maker and preacher in the town of Los Alamos. Like seemingly everyone else in town, he owes money to a banker named Prescott.

And Prescott doesn’t care much about the plight of the townsfolk. He just wants his money, and typically dispatches a hulking henchman named Matt Daniels to coerce people to pay up.

When Bancroft and his wife Sarah fall behind in their payments and can’t keep up, Prescott starts pressuring them.

And when Bancroft dares speak out against him in church, Prescott has him and his wife run out of town.

Bancroft begins to wonder if God has deserted him. No sooner has he regained faith than a new crisis emerges.

His wife has been kidnapped by men paid by Prescott and is being taken back to Los Alamos.

Dennis Cole as Stephen Bancroft, pleading to Prescott for a sense of fairness in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Dennis Cole as Stephen Bancroft, pleading to Prescott for a sense of fairness in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Wendy Cole as Sarah Bancroft, sensing danger at the home where she's staying in The Preacheer and the Gun (2013)

Wendy Cole as Sarah Bancroft, sensing danger at the home where she’s staying in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Review:

Well-intentioned film simply falls flat under the weight of a bargain-basement budget and a second-rate cast. Dennis Cole turns in an earnest enough performance as Stephen, a man who doesn’t think he deserves the tough hand he’s been dealt.

But Rich Henrich and Mark Edwards aren’t nearly dastardly enough in the role of the villains. And the budget clearly didn’t allow enough money for horses or enough extras to populate the town he’s supposed to have under his thumb.

As for the title, it’s a tease. Oh, Stephen Bancroft eventually picks up a gun, but there’s more action on the DVD’s title page than in the film.

Rich Henrich as Prescott, the banker everyone owes money to in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Rich Henrich as Prescott, the banker everyone owes money to in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Mark Edwards as Matt Daniels, enforcer for banker Prescott in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Mark Edwards as Matt Daniels, enforcer for banker Prescott in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Directed by:
Ransom Scott Hester

Cast:
Dennis Cole … Stephen Bancroft
Wendy Cole … Sarah Bancroft
Rich Henrich … Banker Prescott
Mark Edwards … Matt Daniels
Johnnie Walker … The Hunter
Stephen Bockemeier … Robert Tillman
Dustin Lane … Will Porter
Marie Bockemeier … Mrs. Riley
G. Scott Christie … Dan William
Leon Ham … Chuck Williams

Runtime: 78 min.

Johnnie Walker as The Hunter, arriving in the nick of time for Stephen Bancroft in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Johnnie Walker as The Hunter, arriving in the nick of time for Stephen Bancroft in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Stephen Bockemeier as Robert Tillman, the saloon owner struggling to make ends meet in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Stephen Bockemeier as Robert Tillman, the saloon owner struggling to make ends meet in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Memorable lines:

Prescott: “Ah, just another day in hell.”

Stephen: “Bold is the man who trusts in God.”

Banker Prescott to Stephen Bancroft: “The way I see it, I’m David. And this town is Goliath. You’ve got one hour to be gone.”

Wendy Cole as Sarah Bancroft and Dennis Cole as her husband Stephen in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Wendy Cole as Sarah Bancroft and Dennis Cole as her husband Stephen in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Dennis Cole as Stephen Bancroft, a peaceful man learning his wife is in danger in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

Dennis Cole as Stephen Bancroft, a peaceful man learning his wife is in danger in The Preacher and the Gun (2013)

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