Lance Henriksen is Taylon, a former outlaw haunted by his past and present and slowly dying on his decrepit ranch.
His past includes a bank robbery gone badly in the town of Durango. By the time the bloodshed ended, a posse had shot his partner dead and hanged his wife.
His present includes a daughter named Heidi (Meg Steedle) who doesn’t know she’s his daughter. She works in the stables in the nearby town of Hespers.
Well, Taylon decides a slow death isn’t for him. He’ll help Heidi with the money he has stashed away, then head to Durango and try to do the bank job right this time, knowing it’s far more likely that he’ll wind up going out in a blaze of glory.
Then he discovers that there’s a new boss named Jaden at the place where Heidi works, and he’s got her working from flat on her back.
And in Durango? An old acquaintance named Will McMullen (Tom Berenger) is now the sheriff.
A fine example of how to make a decent Western on a modest budget. Not to mention a Western that’s sure to satisfy fans of the genre in that it’s different enough to seem original without being too different.
Both Henrikson (78 the year the film was released) and Berenger (69) turn in performances that will remind us why they were so effective in Westerns when they were younger.
Meg Steedle plays the whore in distress for whom you’re bound to wind up rooting; Steve Railsback is downright hateful as the villain of the piece.
Now, if you were looking for a Danny Trejo film, this isn’t it. His part amounts to a bit role, as the River Man outlaw Taylon will have to get by if he wants to reach the other side.
Directed by:
Mark Landre Gould
Cast:
Lance Henriksen … Taylon Flynn
Tom Berenger … Will McMullen
Meg Steedle … Heidi
Steve Railsback .. Jaden
Danny Trejo … River Man
Billy Lush … Virgil
Lulu Wilson … Sally Anne
Jamie McShane … Doctor Jenkins
Chris Romano … Bartender
Carter Hastings … Jonathan
Steve M. Porter … Bank manager
Angelique Kenney … French saloon girl
Jackson A. Dunn … Henry
Runtime: 99 min.
Memorable lines:
Virgil: “You’re a rotten weed.”
Taylon, aiming a rifle at the man on a horse: “Virgil?”
Virgil: “Of course. Now put the misfirin’ piece of shit away.”
Taylon: “Doctor tells me I’m at the end of my trail. I think he’s right. But I’m not goin’ out like this. Not here. Not a chance.”
Virgil: “So? What’ll it be?”
Taylon: “I’m thinkin’ about a bank.”