Counting Bullets (2021)

Michael Estridge is Lt. Lowe, an ambitious young officer serving out West and eager to prove himself in the field of action.

When he’s summoned for orders by Gen. Bascomb, Lt. Lowe thinks he might finally have a chance to help track down Geronimo.

Gen. Bascomb has something more mundane in mind: Two nuns need to be located and escorted back to safety.

And he wants Lt. Lowe to head the patrol, with Sgt. Whitlock serving under him.

And he doesn’t give a damn that Lowe and Whitlock recently had an altercation that led to the latter being demoted and threatened with court martial.

Also along for the ride will be shotgun-toting veteran Mumford, an old friend of the sergeants, raw recruits Smith and McAlister and a scout named Jefferson.

Well, the assignment turns out to be anything but mandane. The patrol finds the nuns, slain and mutilated.

And those responsible, a band of comancheros 25 strong, would like to add Lowe’s cavalry patrol to their list of victims.

Michael Estridge as Lt. Lowe, hoping to defeat the comancheros in Counting Bullets (2021)

John Marrs as Sgt. Whitlock, proving his worth under fire in Counting Bullets (2021)

Review:

Kudos to Running Wild Films and director Travis Mills for the gumption to make a cavalry film — though small scale — on a shoestring budget.

Be assured, this film is not going to rank up there with John Ford’s Fort Apache or Robert Aldrich’s Ulzana’s Raid on your list of cavalry favorites.

But the cast and crew don’t do too badly with what they had to work with, though the three stars comes partly because my expectations are so low for newer low-budget Westerns like this one.

Mills keep the shots tight during the fort scenes because he clearly wasn’t shooting on a grand set. And he has fun in a cameo role as a captured comanchero, one who likes to cut off his victim’s ears and wear them around his neck.

Drawbacks: Judging from the number of times they’re wounded and keep right on fighting, the soldiers on this patrol must be the toughest sons of bitches alive. And occasionally the script strikes a false note, as though someone came up with a tough or clever line, then decided to shoehorn it into the dialogue whether it worked or not.

Wayne Lundy as Jefferson, the scout no one seems to trust in Counting Bullets (2021)

William Shannon Williams as Trooper Mumford, the old-timer on the patrol in Counting Bullets (2021)

Directed by:
Travis Mills

Cast:
Michael Estridge … Lt. Lowe
John Marrs … Sgt. Whitlock
John Charles Dickson … Trooper McAlister
Thomas Ramsey … Trooper Smith
William Shannon Williams … Trooper Mumford
Wayne Lundy … Jefferson
Jim Heffel … Jailer
William Carr … Sgt. Carr
Gavan Brannan … Gen. Bascomb
Travis Mills … Captured comanchero

Runtime: 72 min.

John Charles Dickson as Trooper McAlister, wounded and wondering if he was worth saving in Counting Bullets (2021)

Thomas Ramsey as Trooper Smith, one of the green recruits on the patrol in Counting Bullets (2021)

Memorable lines:

Gen. Bascomb: “I’m sending out a patrol. And I want you to command it.”
Lt. Lowe: “Finally, I get to go after Geronimo. Thank you, sir.”
Bascomb: “Don’t get too excited. This patrol has nothing to do with Geronimo. This is an escort detail for some nuns.”

Jefferson to Mumford: “I’d be grateful if you’d get your shaky ass finger off that trigger.”

Lt. Lowe to Jefferson: “Give me one reason I shouldn’t shoot you right now?
Trooper Mumford: “Sir, we can’t spare the bullet.”

Jefferson: “So we’re up shit creek without a paddle?”
Trooper Mumford: “We ain’t even got a creek.”

Whitlock to Jefferson, as he tortures a captive comanchero to get the information he wants: “I think you’re starting to enjoy this.”
Jefferson: “Ain’t often a black man gets a chance to hurt a white man without getting lynched.”

Travis Mills as the captured Comanchero in Counting Bullets (2021)

Gavan Brannan as Gen.. Bascomb, giving Whitlock advice for the mission ahead in Counting Bullets (2021)

John Marrs as Sgt. Whitlock, trying to help wounded Trooper McAlister in Counting Bullets (2021)

Michael Estridge as Lt. Lowe, who finds his patrol in a desperate situation in Counting Bullets (2021)