Martin Sensmeier is Ed Dantes, a cowboy about to marry his lovely fiancee Sophia and settle down as part owner of the DeLeon, a saloon she and her mother started in the town of Ingalls.
Then a lawman named Billy Dunn (Eric Nelson) barges in, insists Dantes is really outlaw Bill Gatlin and hauls him off while a distraught Sophia and Dantes’ pal Frank Ferrin (Jonathan Sadowski) look on.
Turns out Dunn really isn’t delivering Dantes to anyone for a dose of frontier justice. He’s selling him to a man named Victor Cain (Ron Perlman).
Cain and his man-hunting partner named Duncan live in seclusion, buy men to fatten them up, then harvest them when the time is right.
That’s right, they’re cannibals.
Dantes spends more than a year in Cain’s captivity, waiting to be harvested, before he manages to escape with a fellow captive named Ed.
Whereupon he falls right into the hands of a notorious outlaw gang. His option: Die or help them escape a posse’s ambush.
He opts to help. In return, a leader of the gang offers to help in Ed Dantes on his mission of vengeance.
Turns out Frank Ferrin wasn’t much of a friend after all. He conspired with Dunn to make sure Dantes disappeared so he could have Sophia and the saloon back in Ingalls all for himself.
Matrin Seinsmeier as Ed Dantes, a man too trusting of his friend in Cottonmouth (2025)
Jonathan Sadowski as Frank Ferrin, wondering how to disappear a ‘friend’ in Cottonmouth (2025)
Review:
Want a Western that includes cannibals, frog-eating, the Wild Bunch and a masquerade ball?
For better or worse, here it is.
For the first 20 minutes or so, viewers are likely to think it’s for the worse because it looks cheaply made and Frank Ferrin doesn’t make for much of a villain.
Stick with the film, and it’ll get better. And as strange as some of the plot twists seem, at least it isn’t lacking in originality.
And if you’ve seen the brilliant “1883” — if you haven’t, stop waiting to do so! — you’re going to spot familiar faces.
Martin Sensmeier, Eric Nelson and James Landry Herbert all had key roles in “1883,” Nelson and Sensmeier as young Elsa’s lovers. In this film, Sensmeier is capable as the lead, Nelson a bit over the top in a villainous role and Hebert an absolute delight as a “lawman” on the trial of Butch and Sundance.
Director Brock Harris has a cameo as Butch. As for the film’s name, Ed Dantes is bitten by a cottonmouth snake while in captivity and survives. Henceforth, his nickname is Cottonmouth.
Eric Nelson as Billy Dunn, about to settle a score in Cottonmouth (2025)
Alyssa Wapanatahk as Sophia, the woman Ed Dantes loves in Cottonmouth (2025)
Directed by:
Brock Harris
Cast:
Martin Sensmeier … Ed Dantes
Jonathan Sadowski … Frank Ferrin
Eric Nelson… Billy Dunn
Alyssa Wapanatahk … Sophia
Ron Perlman … Victor Cain
Esai Morales … Abe
Jeremy Gauna … Duncan
James Landry Hebert … Cook
Creed Garnick … Harry Longbaugh
Alexandra Harris … Etta
Ardeshir Radpour … Chacko
Butch … Brock Harris
Kimberly Guerrero … Valentina
Abbie Cobb … Rose Dunn
Philip Jackson Smith … Dal Dunn
Brock Ryne … Calvin Dunn
James Whiteclooud … Sheriff Dreadfulwater
Runtime: 92 min.
Creed Garnick as Harry Longbaugh and Alexandra Harris as Etta Place, concerned about a knock on the door in Cottonmouth (2025)
James Landry Hebert as Cook with Sophia (Alyssa Wapanatahk) under his gun in Cottonmouth (2025)
Memorable lines:
Victor Cain to Ed Dante, who’s thrown at his feet: “Well, either get up, boy, or lick my boots.”
Frank Ferrin, of a saloon girl named Rose: “Now that one, that one can go all night.”
Billy Dunn: “I know. She’s my sister.”
Fellow captive Abe to Ed: “It’s okay, son. We’ve all been made fools of at some point in our lives.”
Ed, to a frog he’s about to devour: “I’m sorry, friend. I’m sorry. You don’t deserve this.”
Abe to Ed: “They took a chunk of my liver and ate it in front of me.”
Abe to Ed: “Listen to me. Vengeance is a bitter tea. Don’t drink it if you ain’t got the stomach.”
Chacko: “Killing a man gives him peace. The way you kill him — that is how you get revenge.”
Ron Perlman as Victor Cain, encouraging Ed Dante to eat his food in Cottonmouth (2025)
Jeremy Gauna as Duncan, Victor Cain’s assistant, realizing something’s gone wrong in Cottonmouth (2025)
Esai Morales as Abe, offering Ed Dantes some words of advice in Cottonmouth (2025)
Brock Harris as Butch Cassidy, coercing Ed Dantes into the gang in Cottonmouth (2025)
Ardeshir Radpour as Chacko, a Wild Bunch gang member skilled with gun and sword in Cottonmouth (2025)
Jonathan Sadowski as Frank Ferrins comforts Sophia (Alyssa Wapanatahk) and her mom Valentina (Kimberly Guerrero) as Ed Dantes is dragged off in Cottonmouth (2025)
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