Tristan Campbell is Bob Dalton, planning the simultaneous robbery of two banks in Coffeyville.
But he’s going to have to do it short-handed. Bill Dalton (Justin France) has taken ill and he decides on-again, off-again gang member Bill Doolin hasn’t been loyal enough to go along on the ride.
Emmett Dalton (Josh Outzen) argues that they should delay the raid. Or at least ditching the fake beards Bob wants them to wear for fear of being recognized.
Bob will hear none of it, especially after girlfriend Eugenia Moore arrives with inside information on how poorly armed the residents of Coffeyville are.
After all, firearms are prohibited within town limits.
And Marshal Heck Thomas (Mark D. Anderson), who’s been trailing the gang, seems to be nowhere around.
But in Coffeyville, surprises await, beginning with a hitching rack that’s been torn out of place to make way for street improvements.
And it turns out, the residents of Coffeyville have an ample supply of firearms. And are ready to use them if it means defending their town.
Tristan Campbell as Bob Dalton, reviewing plans for the Coffeyville raid in Death Alley (2021)
Josh Outzen as Emmett Dalton, realizing nothing’s going to go as planned in Coffeyville in Death Alley (2021)
Review:
More stylish and engaging than you might expect, with Josh Outzen and Tristan Campbell turning in solid performances as the legendary outlaw brothers.
It helps that the bulk of the film is committed to the attempted bank robberies and the confusion that ensues, including a running gun fight through the streets and alleys of Coffeyville.
But there are some odd moments — misfires you might say — like the prolonged arguing around the campfire on the day before the robbery. Just before the Eugenia Moore character shows up out of nowhere with three whores to calm the boys down.
A coda at the end of the film notes that the lone gang member to survive the raid, Emmett, went on to write two books about his life as an outlaw and appear as himself in a silent film.
The film also has him attending the inaugural Coffeyville Defenders Day celebration (still held each October), though I’ve yet to find a source to verify the truth of that.
Jake Washburn, grim faced as the day for the double bank robbery arrives in Death Alley (2021)
Justin France as Bill Dalton, urging silence when Marshal Thomas comes calling in Death Alley (2021)
Directed by:
Nicholas Barton
Cast:
Josh Outzen … Emmett Dalton
Tristan Campbell … Bob Dalton
Justin France … Bill Dalton
Mark D. Anderson … Heck Thomas
Jake Washburn … Grat Dalton
Ryan Johnson … Bill Powers
Sean Gestl … Dick Broadwell
Kenneth Mitchell .. Bill Doolin
Malorie Felt … Eugenia Moore
Runtime: 94 min.
Kenneth Mitchell as Bill Doolin, lobbying for a bigger role in the Coffeyville raid in Death Alley (2021)
Mark D. Anderson as Heck Thomas, the marshal tracking the Dalton Gang in Death Alley (2021)
Memorable lines:
Heck Thomas to Bill Dalton: “How many more times do I have to kill you?”
Gang member Bill Powers: “Isn’t you the oldest brother?”
Grat Dalton: “Yeah.”
Gang member Dick Broadwell: “Why ain’t you leader then?”
Grat Dalton: “Pa always told us to follow our God-given talents. Truth is, some men are born leaders. Some men are born for whoring.”
Bill Dalton, remembering the slow, painful death of his brother Frank: “Pa, he used to have a sayin’: Daltons die slow. I guess he was right.”
Bob Dalton, trapped inside one of the Coffeyville banks: “Think theyre going to write about us in The Star tomorrow?”
Emmett Dalton: “Bigger story than Jesse James ever got.”
Bob Dalton: “Fuck, Jesse James.”
Sean Gestl as Dick Broadwell, desperately trying to escape the Coffeyville defenders in Death Alley (2021)
Ryan Johnson as Bill Powers, twice wounded but still able to smile, at least for a while, in Death Alley (2021)
Malorie Felt as Eugenia Moore, issuing a warning about Emmett’s cold-hearted nature in Death Alley (2021)
Josh Outzen as Emmett Dalton and Tristan Campbell as Bob Dalton, realizing they might not survive Coffeyville in Death Alley (2021)
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