Death and Compromise (2019)

Brian Elder is Luke Young and John Hall is Lem Sinclair, small-town outlaws who have banded together.

They wind up in the town of Siren, where the loquacious Luke just can’t help cheating at cards and sparking a barroom brawl.

Ambitious Deputy Boyd McCallister tries to chase them down, but winds up getting outwitted.

Furious, he guns down a town resident who was assisting in the chase, then tells the sheriff that Lem and Luke were responsible for the killing.

And so Lem and Luke wind up with a growing price on their heads and fewer places to hide once wanted posters start springing up all over Texas.

They wind up gaining the company of two whores, Clara and Bethany, who insist on being rescued from the bordello where they work.

The quartet wind up taking refuge at the home of Lem’s friend, William Baker.

But with that bounty on their heads, the law — and the vicious Deputy Boyd — never seem to be far behind.

Brian Elder as Luke Young, trying to talk his way out of a tough spot in Death and Compromise (2019)

John Hall as Lem Sinclair, ready to try to rescue his friends from the deputy’s grip in Death and Compromise (2019)

Review:

Take two likeable leads, add a playful touch and a serial style presentation, and you have Death and Compromise.

The four parts on the DVD release made up Season 1 for the show, which streamed on Octane TV.

It’s a low-budget take on the West, but quick burst of violences help keep the viewers’ interest.

One episode starts with Clara cutting up a judge because he’d previously done the same to Bethany.

The scene comes out of nowhere with very little context. But, hey, maybe they’ll get to that in Season 2.

If there’s ever a Season 2. The show’s Facebook page hasn’t exactly been a busy place — one post, not show-related, in all of 2022.

Beware of that, because the four episodes that make up Season 1 end with the ultimate of cliff hangers.

Andrea Flowers as Clara O’Neal, the whore with a tough streak in Death and Compromise (2019)

Jennifer Kendall as Bethany Wilhelm, about to show off her knife skills in Death and Compromise (2019)

Directed by:
Brian Elder

Cast:
Brian Elder … Luke Young
John Hall … Lemuel Sinclair
Andrea Flowers … Clara O’Neal
Jennifer Kendall … Bethany Wilhelm
Michael J. Rodriguez … Sheriff Morales
Chad Thackston … Deputy Boyd McCallister
Paul Grubb … William Baker
Derek Tyler … Jeb Baker
Donna Marie … Mary Baker
William Instone … Rick
Robert T. McDorman … Harry

Runtime: 94 min.

Chad Thackston as Boyd McCallister, the crooked deputy determined to get Luke and Lem in Death and Compromise (2019)

Michael J. Rodriguez as Sheriff Morales, confronting his prey in Death and Compromise (2019)

Memorable lines:

Luke Young to Lem, as the buddies face a date with a hangman’s noose: “We’re gonna be tomato fertilizer, Lem. I don’t even like tomatoes.”

Luke Young, to a girl on the street: “I’m lost. Could you show me where your bedroom is?”
He gets slapped and returns to Lem’s side.
Lem: “You’re gonna get us killed.”

Luke: “You know, new town, people look at you like you’re gonna bed their wives and slap their kids. Really gets under my skin. Cause I never slapped a kid.”

Lem, looking at the $5 poster on Luke: “If that’s all you’re worth, you oughta shoot yourself.”

Deputy Boyd McAllister: “I don’t save whores.”
Clara: “Well, you and God have something in common after all.”

Paul Grubb as William Baker, the man who gives Luke and Lem refuge in his home in Death and Compromise (2019)

Donna Marie as Mary Baker and Derek Tyler as her son, Jeb, in Death and Compromise (2019)

Jennifer Kendall as Bethany and Andrea Flowers as Clara O’Neal, cornered as they try to escape in Death and Compromise (2019)

Brian Elder as Luke Young and John Hall as Lem Sinclair, waiting for the perfect moment to spring into action in Death and Compromise (2019)