Max Dietrich (James Russo) rides into Yellow Rock searching for a guide. Specifically, he’s searching for Tom Hanner (Michael Biehn), the one man he believes can lead him through Black Paw country.

Dietrich’s only relatives, it seems, are a brother and his son who went trapping near Indian territory and never returned.

With four guns — Farly, Cobb, Roscoe and Billy Boy — to back him up, and Tanner to lead the way, he figures to find the missing relatives.

But in order to travel through Indian territory, they need approval of the elders of the Black Paw tribe. That’s where Dr. Sarah Taylor (Lenore Andriel) comes in. She’s been doctoring the Indians for years and has gained their trust.

She helps Tanner convince the Black Paw to let Dietrich and his men pass through. And almost immediately begins to question the wisdom of that decision.

For one thing, the white don’t think twice about desecrating an Indian burial ground. For another, they don’t seem to be fretting too much about the lost brother or his child.

Michael Biehn as Tom Hanner in Yellow Rock (2011)

James Russo as Max Dietrich in Yellow Rock (2011)

Review:

Valiant effort because the film doesn’t look as low budget as it probably was, and Biehn and Russo turn in stronger performances than you’ll typically find in a low-budget Western.

But subtract the opening and the closing credits, and the film clocks in at about 80 minutes, with way too much footage of the characters riding around and not nearly enough character development.

Should we care about Tom Hanner, the man who lost first his wfe, then his son and is now something of a tortured soul? In truth, we never learn enough about him to care.

Throw in a little too much native American mystique, and this is a misfire. Worth watching once if you’re a Western buff, but a misfire nonetheless.

Lenore Andriel as Dr. Sarah Taylor in Yellow Rock (2011)

Michael Spears as Broken Wing in Yellow Rock (2011)

Directed by:
Nick Vallelonga

Cast:
Michael Biehn … Tom Hanner
James Russo … Max Dietrich
Lenore Andriel … Dr. Sarah Taylor
Michael Spears … Broken Wing
Eddie Spears … Angry Wolf
Peter Sherayko … Farley
Christopher Backus … Cobb
Clay Wilcox … Roscoe
Brian Gleason … Billy Boy
Amy Jennings … Martha
Paul Sloan … Johnson
Jennifer Blanc … Monica

Runtime: 90 min.

Christopher Backus as Cobb in Yellow Rock (2011)

Clay Wilcox as Roscoe in Yellow Rock (2011)

Memorable lines:

Cobb: “Your doctor friend better come back with the right answer.”
Martha, the doctor’s assistant: “Mister, she’ll come back with the only answer that there is.”

Indian brave: “You take money to save two lives. There is no honor in this.
Hanner: “You’re right.”

Billy Boy, involved in a card game in the stable when the doctor’s helper walks in: “Smells like shit in here lady.”
Martha: “That’s cause you boys need a bath. Don’t worry none. The horses don’t mind.”

Dr. Sarah Taylor: “They died here. They caught the white man’s disease.”
Dietrich: “Shut up.”
Sarah: “The only one I can’t cure. The only one the Indians are immune to. The Indians are right. You’ve got the fever for yellow rock.”