Bill Foster is Ishmael Ryan, eeking out a living on his small cattle farm when former Texas Ranger partner Samuel O’Reilly comes calling.
Seems the Nate Jones gang has taken over the town of Brazos. And none other than Texas Gov. Ireland is requesting the former Capt. Ryan take the job of stopping his vicious gang once and for all.
Ryan is reluctant. But, ultimately, he can’t give up a chance to even the score with the man whose gang burned his home and killed his wife and two children years earlier.
So after a quick stop at wife Abigail’s grave to explain what he’s doing, he hops on his horse and joins O’Reilly for one last ride.
His plan is simple. O’Reilly will ride into Brazos pretending to be a drunken cowpoke, looking for more drink and some female companionship.
Once O’Reilly gets the lay of the land, Ryan will follow, under the assumed name of Elliott.
He catches Jones’ attention by gunning down a young hot-head in a fair fight. He even joins the Jones gang to rob a bank.
But he’s just waiting for the right moment to dole out his brand of justice and vengeance, even if he and O’Reilly will be greatly outnumbered.
After all, they’ve survived overwhelming odds before.
Bill Foster as Capt. Ishmael Ryan, caught bathing without his six-gun by one of Jones’ men in Showdown on the Brazos (2025)
Brent Rock as Nate Jones, leader of the outlaw gang that takes over the town of Brazos, Texas, in Showdown on the Brazos (2025)
Review:
Well, this certainly isn’t one of those low-budget Westerns with a minuscule cast. The screen is literally filled with extras.
Unfortunately, the script tries to find something for many of those extras to do, so the film never really finds a rhythm between the main plot and misguided attempts at humor — a school boy who’s caught a skunk — and unnecessary tangents — a bartender who finally shoots a card cheat he can’t stand, then takes his winnings.
It doesn’t help that director/star Bill Foster and his sidekick are tough to swallow as invincible heroes. Check out the difficulty Foster has pulling a rifle from his scabbard when it’s time to shoot a buffalo.
And while we hear a lot about how vicious Nate Jones is as an outlaw leader, it would help us care more about his demise if we saw him do something more hateful than sit in a saloon and order others to do his dirty work.
If you make it to the end of this film, you’ll know a sequel is surely headed our way.
Larry Welch as Samuel O’Reilly, the sidekick who helps lure Capt. Ryan out of retirement in Showdown on the Brazos (2025)
Corbett Hall as the Brazos bartender who guns down card cheats in Showdown on the Brazos (2025)
Directed by:
Bill Foster
Cast:
Bill Foster … Capt. Ishmael Ryan / Elliott
Larry Welch … Samuel O’Reilly
Brent Rock … Nate Jones
JF Davis … Rev. Silas Parker
C.J. Morrison … Ms. Purcie
Dennis Allyn … Town drunk / marshal
Blade West … Blade
Jonny Ray Gibbs … Clyde
Amanda Smith … Josie
Jay Pennington … Barnabas
Ron Blanton … Gov. Ireland
DeWayne Hudson … Sen. Gregg
Eddie Gomez … Two Moons
Corbett Hall … Bartender
Paul Ingenhuett … Dan
Brett Bradford … Xavier
Reynolds Washam … Capt. Jack Young
Heston Lee … Weston Lee
Brian Elder … Jacob, bank teller
Runtime: 91 min.
Ron Blanton as Gov. Ireland, deciding former Capt. Ryan is the man to send after Nate Jones in Showdown on the Brazos (2025)
Amanda Smith as Josie, trying to get Nate Jones to focus as a showdown nears in Showdown on the Brazos (2025)
Memorable lines:
Capt. Ishmael Ryan, at wife Abigail’s grave: “You told me not to hold grudges. But I’m sorry, baby, I’ve been holding a grudge against those murderin’ outlaws that took you and my girls away from me. But I’m not going to hold that grudge much longer. I’m goin’ back to rangering. One last ride … I goin’ to go kill every one of those murderin’ outlaws and send them straight to hell where they belong. That is with your approval, of course.”
A bird tweets.
Capt. Ryan: “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Nate Jones, standing on the gallows with two Pinkertons behind him, ropes around their necks: “What we have here are two men that the governor sent to arrest us. As you can see, it hasn’t worked out too well for them.”
Bartender, after shooting a card cheat: “Now each of you at the table can take out two bits. Bring the rest of it to me.”
Card player: “Why do you get to take the money?”
Bartender: “That’s easy. I gotta have somebody haul this body out back. Gotta have somebody mop up the floor tonight.”
Saloon patron: “Mop the floor? These floors ain’t been mopped in years. Look at all these blood stains.”
Bartender: “Did I mention that I also have the shotgun?”
Capt. Ismael Ryan to a former colleague: “This time revenge and justice is ridin’ the same horse.”
C.J. Morrison as Ms. Prucie, a school teacher lecturing the new marshal on how to deal with a boy and a skunk in Showdown on the Brazos (2025)
J.F. Davis as The Rev. Silas Parker, trying to stand up to Nate Jones and his gang in Showdown on the Brazos (2025)
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