William McCarthy traveled with his outlaw parents as a youth, hiding in the woods while their gang committed dastardly deeds.
Now he’s a young man (played by Jacob Stieneker). His parents are dead. And William is consumed by a thirst for revenge.
He tracks down Felix Danberry, the lawman he blames for his parents’ deaths, and kills him, execution style.
But even that doesn’t satisfy his thirst. He’s also out for the blood of three former gang members — Butch Lester, Clive Carmine and Floyd Ricketts.
They revealed his parents location to authorities in return for pardons.
His search for the trio leads to Cold Cross, where Sheriff Hank Ross and his deputy have just hanged one evil doer.
Cold Cross is also the destination for Fennek Danberry, brother of Felix. He’s totured by his own need for vengeance.
Jacob Stieneker as William McCarthy, haunted by his third for vengeance and on the trail of three men in Gunfight at Cold Cross (2023)
Bobby Christman as Fennek Danberry, arranging a personal showdown with the man he’s been tracking in Gunfight at Cold Cross (2023)
Review:
The first 20 minutes or so of this Western make for challenging viewing because of the way the story is presented.
Stick with it, and you’ll be rewarded with a compelling tale of violence and vengeance, made all the more so thanks to intense performances from Jacob Stieneker and Bobby Christman.
Just keep in mind that it is a low-budget Western, meaning it’s far from perfect. The cinematography, for instance, is maddenly inconsistent, moody and beautiful in one scene, murky and way too dark the next.
And for comic relief, someone decided to have the sheriff’s deputy play his part like the village idiot, an unwise choice bordering on ludicrous considering the mood of the film.
Michaela Semak plays Jude McCarthy and Abi Van Andel plays Bonnie Danberry, women who can’t grasp why their men are so consumed by the need for revenge.
There’s also an impressive soundtrack featuring songs by star Jacob Stieneker and the Peaky Shiners, a group consisting of Jacob, Justin and Josh Stieneker.
Michaela Semak as Jude McCarthy, the wife who warns William she might not wait around if he heads out for more revenge in Gunfight at Cold Cross (2023)
Zach Meiser as Butch Lester, one of the former gang members William is trying to track down in Gunfight at Cold Cross (2023)
Directed by:
Dylan Query
Cast:
Jacob Stieneker … William McCarthy
Bobby Christman … Fennek Danberry
Michaela Semak … Jude McCarthy
Zach Meiser … Butch Lester
Gerry Rose … Rev. Clive Carmine
Jeff McCuistion … Floyd Ricketts
Greg Stieneker … Sheriff Hank Ross
Dakota Phillips … Deputy Charles
Paisley Blackburn … Mama Danberry
Abi Van Andel … Bonnie Danberry
Hannah Wilkison … Lana Danberry
Larry Beck … Atticus Danberry
Billy Christman … Felix Danberry
Seth Hacker … Deputy Hacker
Justin Stieneker … Henry McCarthy
Madeline Grosh … Elizabeth McCarthy
Quintin Query … Young William McCarthy
Blake Conner … Sheriff John Lewis
Runtime: 107 min.
aka: Cold Cross
Gerry Rose as Clive Carmine, a former gang member turned preacher and one of the men William is after in Gunfight at Cold Cross (2023)
Jeff McCuistion as Floyd Ricketts, studying the body of a gang member who’s become a victim of William’s quest for revenge in Gunfight at Cold Cross (2023)
Memorable lines:
William McCarthy: “What have you done to me, Jude?”
Jude McCarthy: “Saved you.”
William: “There ain’t no savin’ me.”
Jude: “Well, at least I tried.”
William McCarthy, party blaming himself for his parents’ death: “I’m tired of feeling guilty. Every single day.”
Fennek Danberry to wife Bonnie, of tracking down William McCarthy: “The more I discuss it with you, the more I want to see if first hand — my bullet tearing through his stupid skull. So to answer your question — doin’ it myself and watching that son of a bitch suck his last god damned breath — that’s going to give me great satisfaction.”
Floyd Ricketts to his fellow former gang members: “Now you boys know I ain’t one to run from a fight. But I also ain’t the bastard to answer the door when death comes a knockin’.”
Floyd Ricketts to William McCarthy: “You always were a brave little shit. But maybe a few bullets shy of a full cylinder. Just like your daddy.”
Jacob Stieneker as William McCarthy, teaching his wife Jude (Michaela Semak) how to handle a six-gun in Gunfight at Cold Cross (2023)
Greg Stieneker as Sheriff Hank Ross, convincing Fennek Danberry to join him in the search for William McCarthy in Gunfight at Cold Cross (2023)
Dakota Phillips as Deputy Charles, trying to obey the sheriff’s order to kill a man in Gunfight at Cold Cross (2023)
Abi Van Andel as Bonnie Danberry, trying to convince her hard-drinking husband to give up his quest for revenge in Gunfight at Cold Cross (2023)
Bobby Christman as Fennek Danberry, studying an old photo of himself and his late brother in Gunfight at Cold Cross (2023)
Jacob Stienker as William McCarthy, ready for the kill after tracking down the lawman who killed his parents in Gunfight at Cold Cross (2023)
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