Angel and the Badman (2009)

Lou Diamond Phillips is the notorious gunslinger Quirt Evans, known for closing the eyes of many a man and opening the eyes of many a woman, in the words of one character in this remake of the 1947 classic.

He’s taken in by a Quaker family after being wounded in a gunfight.

The doc who helps nurse him back to health warns the family against keeping him around. But their faith won’t allow them to turn him out.

Besides, daughter Temperance (Deborah Kara Unger), a widow with a son to raise, is quickly falling for Quirt.

She helps convince him to hang around longer than he intends.

But will she be able to lure him from his violent past and his reliance on a six-gun?

After all, there’s another gunman named Laredo (Luke Perry), who wants Quirt’s mine.

And if that means putting Quirt six feet underground … well, that would suit him just fine.

Lou Diamond Phillips as Quirt Evans in Angle and the Badman (2009)

Deborah Kara Unger as Temperance, getting to know Quirt in Angel and the Badman (2009)

Review:

Look, Lou Diamond Phillips and Luke Perry have done decent jobs in Hallmark Westerns. Putting them in a classic film that probably should not have been remade does them no justice.

Phillips can’t come close to doing incredulous the way John Wayne did when confronted with the “quirks” of the Quaker religion in the same role. Perry isn’t exactly convincing as the villain. And Unger doesn’t come close to pulling off her role as well as eye-batting Gail Russell did in the original. Fact is, her performance is so bland, you have to wonder what Quirt sees in her.

All of which is complicated by the fact that many scenes are lifted, word for word, from the original. The film earns three stars over because the competition among post-2000 Westerns is so weak.

Luke Perry as Laredo in Angel and the Badman (2009)

Winston Rekert as Sheriff Sam O’Connell in Angel and the Badman (2009)

Directed by:
Terry Ingram

Cast:
Lou Diamond Phillips … Quirt Evans
Deborah Kara Unger … Temperance
Luke Perry … Laredo
Terence Kelly … Thomas
Merrilyn Gann … Virginia
Gig Morton … John
Michael Teigan … Telegraph Operator
John Tench … Hondo
Scott McNeil … Auburn
Don Thompson … Doc Johnson
Brendan Wayne … Randy
Winston Rekert … Sam
Garry Chalk … Steve Carson
Jennifer Copping … Margaret
Melanie Papalia … Sandy Johnson

Runtime: 95 min.

Don Thompson as Doc Johnson, helping heal Quirt Evans in Angel and the Badman (2009)

Garry Chalk as Steve Carson with Thomas (Terence Kelly) and Virginia (Merrilyn Gann) in Angel and the Badman (2009)

Memorable lines:

Quirt to Temperance: “This can go from real friendly to real ugly, real quick.”

Quirt to Laredo: “I wouldn’t expect even you to stoop that low.”
Laredo: “Watch me stoop.”

Brendan Wayne as Randy McCall, Quirt’s friend in Angel and the Badman (2009)

Lou Diamond Phillips as Quirt Evans with Deborah Kara Unger as Temperance in Angel and the Badman (2009)

Lou Diamond Phillips as Quirt with saloon girl Maggie (Jennifer Copping) in Angel and the Badman (2009)

Lou Diamond Phillips as Quirt Evans, ready for a showdown in Angel and the Badman (2009)