Sarah Drew is Martha Rose Jacobs and for 15 years, she has hid the truth from her preacher husband Jeremiah (Lucas Black).
She is the daughter of infamous outlaw William “King of Hearts” Bridges (Jeff Fahey), leader of The House gang.
And her own daughter Hope (Olivia Sanabia), the teenager Jeremiah has helped raise as his own, was fathered by a now-dead member of that gang.
One night, that regretable past comes crashing back into the lives of the Jacobs’ family.
The House gang raids their farm. As guns blaze, a member of the gang swoops Hope onto a horse and carries her off into the night.
William Bridges figures Hope will become the new queen of hearts, replacing her mother.
Heck, the kidnapping of Hope might even lure her mother back into the fold.
Martha Rose, still quite handy with a gun from her outlaw days, is eager to chase after her daughter.
Jeremiah wants her rescued too, though he realizes he doesn’t quite have the frontier skills to be very useful.
In order to set out in pursuit, both will have to defy Sheriff Beauchamp. He’s more inclined to throw Martha Rose behind bars and rely on Jeremiah’s prayer to settle Hope’s fate.
Strong acting, solid production skills and an original plot add up to a charming Western you won’t want to miss.
This one comes complete with characters you’ll care about, occasional touches of humor and a climatic showdown aboard a hot air balloon.
Okay, the quickly blossoming friendship / romance between Hope and The Diamond Kid, a member of the House gang, seems a bit far fetched.
Until you realize William Bridges is likely doing to Hope what he did to his own daughter — setting her up with a gang member to ensure the continuation of his line of “birthright” outlaws.
Jackson Hurst plays Jebediah Goodnight, the bounty man who tracks down Martha Rose for The House gang, then gets double-crossed for his trouble.
Janine Turner is Bonnie Beauchamp, the sheriff’s wife, who wishes her husband would just ignore the law when it comes to a former outlaw trying her darnedest to go straight.
Directed by:
Aaron Burns
Cast:
Sarah Drew … Martha Rose Jacobs
Lucas Black … Jeremiah Jacobs
Olivia Sanabia … Hope Jacobs
Tom Proctor … Sheriff Beauchamp
Jackson Hurst … Jebediah Goodnight
Jeff Fahey … William “King of Hearts” Bridges
Janine Turner … Bonnie Beauchamp
Eric Stanton Betts … The Diamond Kid
King Orba … Ace of Spades
Mike Evans … Royal Flush
Jeremy Gauna … Jokers Wild
Daniel Gilmore … John Buckase
Jenin Gonzalez … Triple Seven
Runtime: 101 min.
Memorable lines:
Jeremiah Jacobs, hunting with his daughter, the better shot: “If my congregation finds out my daughter is a natural born gunslinger, I’ll never live it down.”
Martha Rose Jacobs to a snake oil salesman: “Mr. Goodnight, it was of the mind to imbibe in rattlesnake juice, I’d simply squeeze one myself.”
William Bridges, when The Diamond Kid hesitates to kill on command: “How many times have I told, you Kid? You dither; you die.”
Sheriff Beauchamp, trying to figure out why Hope was kidnapped: “I’ve seen ransom, revenge and romance. But I’ve never seen random.”
Mary Rose Jacobs, as they head out on the outlaw trail: “This life’s gonna break your heart.”
Jeremiah Jacobs: “Can’t break what’s already been broken.”
Sheriff Beauchamp, pulling his gun as someone approaches: “Stranger, identify yourself. Before I send you a hot lead telegram.”
Mary Rose Jacobs to her husband: “Shoot from the heart and you’ll always shoot true.”