Copperhead (2008)

Brad Johnson is “Wild” Bill Longley, who rides into a New Mexico town looking forward to a reunion with an old friend named Murphy.

He discovers that Murphy’s dead and that a gang of ruffians led by Jesse Evans (Billy Drago) has taken control of the town.

He’s soon drawn into a poker game with Jesse and two of his men. And, before the game ends, Jesse has challenged him to a showdown.

That’s because Jesse doesn’t believe the warning that was the other reason for Longley’s visit: A massive swarm of copperheads that’s headed straight for town and killing everything in its path.

With the help of his trusty six-gun named Winona, Longley wins the showdown, badly wounding Jesse.

The townsfolk who suffered under the thumb of Jesse’s gang have little time to celebrate.

Because that massive swarm of copperheads just showed up on the horizon.

And it’s soon clear the ruffians and the good folks of town will have to join forces if anyone’s going to survive.

Review:

The best way to explain this film is to understand that in 2006 “Snakes on a Plane” was released, became an Internet sensation and raked in $62 million at the box office.

So two years later, we have computer-generated snakes wreaking havoc in the old West in a movie filmed in Bulgaria. Leading the effort to defeat them — one character named “Wild” Bill and a young gun from New Mexico named Will Bonney (Keith Stone).

Some of their methods are inventive, but this film is neither funny enough or scary enough to be a rousing good time. Those computer generated snakes just aren’t that convincing.

As for the Western subplot, Billy Drago sure snarls a lot and Brad Johnson smiles way through danger, but the confrontation between their characters seems contrived.

Wendy Carter and Violeta Markovska pretty up the film as whores in the town’s only saloon. The former spends most of her time with Will Bonney; the latter had already endured similar horrors in “Octopus 2: River of Fear” and “Shark Zone.”

Directed by:
Todor Chapkanov

Cast:
Brad Johnson … “Wild” Bill Longley
Keith Stone … Will Bonney
Brad Greenquist … Garrett
Wendy Carter … Jane
Gabriel Womack … Roscoe Burrell
Billy Drago … Jesse Evans
Atanas Srebrev … Josiah
Todd Jensen … Sheriff Mercer
Violeta Markovska … Darla
George Zlatarev … Ponciano Domingues
Nick Harvey … Tannen
Marta Kondova … Ms. Murphy
Nathan Bautista … Henry

Runtime: 90 min.

Memorable lines:

Jesse Evans, after Bill Longley throws considerable cash on the poker table: “Sure hope you didn’t have to kill anybody I know to get that.”

“Wild” Bill Longley as Jesse and his gang warn that they kill cheaters: “There might be plenty of reasons to shoot me before the end of the night, but cheatin’ ain’t one of them.”

Will Bonney: “Bill said there’s a swarm of snakes headed straight for us.”
Sheriff Mercer: “What? Well, that’s preposterous.”

“Wild” Bill Longley, on the prospect of fleeing to the nearest town on foot: “It’s hotter than nickel night at the whorehouse. We wouldn’t make it two days out there.”

Will Bonney, as the townsfolk pool resources to combat the copperheads: “I never felt more alive.”
“Wild” Bill Longley: “Here’s hopin’ the sensation lasts.”

“Wild” Bill Longley: “Snakes. God, I hate snakes.”

Violeta Markovska as Darla, wary of what might be lurking behind a door in Copperhead (2008)

Todd Jensen as Sheriff Murphy, on the watch for more snakes in Copperhead (2008)

Keith Stone as Will Bonney, Wendy Carter as Jane and Violeta Markovska as Darla, looking for answers in Copperhead (2008)

Brad Johnson as Wild Bill Longley and others watch thousands of snakes swarm toward their town in Copperhead (2008)