Gunfight at Dry River (2021)

Joshua Dickinson is Alonzo Murrieta, who returns to the town where his father lived to claim his inheritance: an empty house with a hole in the roof.

But he discovers the town of Dry River has been taken over by the cruel Ryles family.

Mother Etta (Ann Mitchell) rules the roost and has three sons to do her bidding, Cooper, Verne and Reid.

They control the only well in town. And since the area is in the middle of a drought, effectively decide who can stay and who leaves town, who gets the water necessary to live and who doesn’t.

Their reason for staying in Dry Wells is an old legend about a priest named Don Miquel with a statue of gold. They figure it’s buried with him, somewhere in town.

When Alonzo shows up, they figure he might know where. Especially since he discovers a book filled with old drawings his father made of the town.

The town’s residents see hope in Alonzo, who’s father was a kind and brave man.

Alonzo finds hope in pretty young Clarissa Hawkins, who’s stuck in town caring for her blind father.

Alonzo figured his future was over after tracking down and killing those responsible for his father’s death.

Now he can envision a future with Clarissa. If he can only find a way to wrestle Dry River from the Ryles’ control.

Joshua Dickinson as Alonzo Murrieta, returning to his hometown in Gunfight at Dry River (2021)

Isabella Walker as Clarissa Hawkins, growing closer to Alonzo Murrieta in Gunfight at Dry River (2021)

Review:

The bare-bones plot, the violence, the eccentric characters will remind you a bit of a Spaghetti Western. Indeed, this was filmed in Spain.

But what sets the film apart is a cast that can act, a director with a sense of flair and a final product far superior to most Westerns being released in the 2020s.

Michael Moriarity gets top billing, but the heavy lifting here is done by Joshua Dickson as Alonzo Murrieta, a man who would like nothing better than to avoid violence.

Of course, that’s not to be with the Ryles brothers around. Cooper fancies himself the leader and is sweet on Clarissa. Reid is a bit of a simpleton with an itchy trigger finger.

And Verne — played by Danny Shayler, who looks a heck of a lot like Chuck Connors — is the cold-blooded killer in the family.

Michael Moriarity as John ‘Boone’ Hawkins, giving his daughter instructions on how to load a gun in Gunfight at Dry River (2021)

Morgan Symes as Reid Ryles, using a church bell for target practice in Gunight at Dry River (2021)

Directed by:
Daniel Simpson

Cast:
Michael Moriarity … John “Boone” Hawkins
Charles Creed Miles … Cooper Ryles
Ann Mitchell … Etta Ryles
Danny Shayler … Verne Ryles
Peter Cosgrove … Old Wescott
Joshua Dickinson … Alonzo Murrieta
Isabella Walker … Clarissa Hawkins
Morgan Symes … Reid Ryles
Nelson Maller Flores … Village man
Fabricio Christian Amansi … The Mexican

Runtime: 101 min.

aka:
Dry River

Charles Creed Miles as Cooper Ryles, one of the cruel brothers in Gunfight at Dry River (2021)

Danny Shayler as Verne Ryles, the cold-blooded killer among the brothers in Gunfight at Dry River (2021)

Memorable lines:

Alonzo Murietta: “They say when flies become sticky, a storm is brewing.”

Cooper Ryles: “Out here, we decide who drinks and who dies.”

Alonzo Murietta: “I travel with good luck on my side.”
Clarissa Hawkins: “Good luck doesn’t go by the name of Dry River. There’s nothing but ruin. And beyond that, only desert.”

Alonzo Murietta: “I assure you, an empty house with a hole in its roof is as much as I’m laying claim to.”

Etta Ryles: “Fine drawings. Pedro Murietta was a man of many talents. He must have been a good father.”
Alonzo Murietta: “Brought me up well enough to know a family of jackals should I run into them.”

Clarissa Hawkins: “It’s a cruel life. Give a glimpse of hope, just to tear it away.”

Ann Mitchell as Etta Ryles, revealing her plans for Alonzo Murrieta in Gunfight at Dry River (2021)

Joshua Dickinson as Alonzo Murrieta, about to discover that water isn’t free for the taking in Gunfight at Dry River (2021)

Isabella Walker as Clarissa Hawkins, about to settle a score in Gunfight at Dry River (2021)

Morgan Symes as Reid Ryles, looking for permission to finish off Alonzo Murrieta (Joshua Dickinson) in Gunfight at Dry River (2021)