Deadly Western (2023)

Eric Michaelian is Owen Clark, a sheriff who wakes up with no memory of being sheriff, no memory of the town where he’s sheriff, not even a memory of his wife.

But he won’t have long to figure things out because two vicious killers — Hope (Sharon Marr) and Cooper (Lous DeStefano) — are headed toward his town.

And it’s a town already on the verge of extinction, though Beth Clark (Lorrie Bacon) is sure it would spring back to life if her husband can just rid the area of those two killers.

Turns out Elias, the sheriff’s brother-in-law, is eager for a showdown with Cooper, itching to gain the reputation killing the outlaw would bring.

But the town’s other occupants — a drunk, a timid preacher, a saloon owner and a homeless man who prefers jail to freedom — aren’t likely to offer Clark much in the way of useful assistance.

And the gang of two headed toward town become three when Hope takes a liking to a cold-blooded young woman named Jane, who’s just itching to dole out some lead of her own.

Eric Michaelian as Owen Clark as a confused sheriff preparing for the arrival of two killers in Deadly Western (2023)

Louis DeStefano as Cooper, one of the killers headed toward town in Deadly Western (2023)

Review:

As this film begins, tongue partly planted in cheek, you’re going to want to give it a chance as a Western spoof.

But after a couple of early chuckles, it becomes apparent the script isn’t funny enough for a Western spoof.

Could it be a sci-fi Western? The town drunk keeps talking about strange lights and visitors in the night?

Problem is, scenes with telephone wires in the background keep popping up. The jail appears to be the size of a closet. And it has horizontel rather than vertical bars. And those three vicious killers are trudging toward town on two horses.

So it’s tough to care enough to wonder about the film’s direction. And by the time the credits roll, you’re likely going to be wondering why anyone bothered to make the film at all.

Is “Deadly Western” deadly viewing? That might be too harsh. But it’s only a couple of notches above that.

Sharon Marr as Hope, one of the deadly killers in Deadly Western (2023)

Lorrie Bacon as Beth, the sheriff’s wife, learning he’s lost his memory in Deadly Western (2023)

Directed by:
Gregory Hatanaka
Geno McGahee

Cast:
Eric Michaelian … Owen Clark
Chris Spinelli … Elias
Lorrie Bacon … Beth
Louis DeStefano … Cooper
Sharon Marr … Hope
Brent Northrup … Preacher
Saint Heart … Jane
Nicole D’Angelo … Christine
Lisa London … Carol
Johnny Avila … Harrison
Linda S. Wong … Stella
Johnny Mask … James
Shane Ryan-Reid … Buck
Bayindir Citak … Ace

Runtime: 64 min.

Chris Spinelli as Elias, a man looking forward to a showdown with Cooper in Deadly Western (2023)

Saint Heart as the cold-blooded young lady who joins Hope and Cooper in Deadly Western (2023)

Memorable lines:

Sheriff: “Maybe I should see a physician. I think I caught something.”
Stella, the barkeep: “The physician caught something too. Four in the chest.”

Sheriff: “You’re the preacher. Don’t you have a special connection with the man up there.”
Preacher: “No more than you do.”

Elias: “You always dislike me, preacher. Why is that?”
Preacher: “Because you’re dislikable.”

Bayindir Citak as Ace, the homeless man who doesn’t mind being locked up in jail in Deadly Western (2023)

Linda S. Wong as Stella, the saloon owner determined to protect her property in Deadly Western (2023)

Brent Northrup as the preacher, listening to the ramblings of the town drunk in Deadly Western (2023)