Martin Sheen is Jackson Hardin, a former Confederate officer who heads south of the Rio Grande to offer pardons to Southern soldiers who refused to surrender at the end of the Civil War.
When he’s wounded, that task falls to sidekick Dusty Fog (Christopher Atkins) and the vengeance seeking Ysabel Kid (Todd Jensen).
They’ll soon get company in the form of former spy Belle Boyd (Janine Denison), who’s searching for a long=lost lover, and Miguel Rodriguez (James Van Helsen), who’s searching for a missing brother.
That long-lost lover is Lt. Mark Counter (Gerald Christopher), serving under Confederate Gen. Sheldon, whose former Rebel soldiers are aligned with the French troops occupying Mexico.
Complicating matters: Dusty and the Kid are also involved in an effort to smuggle guns to the Mexican revolutionaries fighting the French.
And they’re doing that on behalf of a U.S. Government wary that the French will turn their eyes toward Texas if not stopped south of the border.
Martin Sheen as Jackson Hardin, hoping to lure ex-Confederates back home with pardons in Guns of Honor (1994)
Christopher Atkins as Dusty Fog, forced to lead Hardin’s mission after he’s wounded in Guns of Honor (1994)
Review:
Quite frankly, a muddled mess thanks to filmmakers working with too many storylines and the assumption that a young, attractive cast, non-stop action and a high body count would overcome all other shortcomings.
For instance, no sooner are Dusty and Ysabel given their task than they get into a shoot-out with six Yankees over a saloon girl’s honor.
Any repercussions from killing some soldiers wearing blue? Nope. They ride merrily off to deliver their pardons with nary a lawman on their trail.
Meanwhile, the Ysabel Kid’s declaration of vengeance is a scene to behold (especially if you’re practicing how to stifle laughter) and he spends the rest of the film snarling annoyingly at everyone he encounters.
As for the big names in the cast — Martin Sheen disappears after the first 20 minutes or so. Which is far better than Corbin Bernsen of “L.A. Law” fame, who never shows up at all.
That’s because this film mostly shares a cast with a companion piece, “Trigger Fast,” in which Bernsen plays the primary villain.
Todd Jensen as Ysabel Kid, on a quest for vengeance in Guns of Honor (1994)
Gerald Christopher as Lt. Mark Counter, the former Rebel who left Belle Boyd behind in Guns of Honor (1994)
Directed by:
Peter Edwards
Cast:
Martin Sheen … Jackson Baines Hardin
Gerald Christopher … Lt. Mark Counter
Todd Jensen … Ysabel Kid
Christopher Atkins … Dusty Fog
Janine Denison … Belle Boyd
James Van Helsen … Miguel Rodriguez
Adrian Steed … Gen. Sheldon
Tertius Meinjes … Cap. Bardeau
Robin Smith … Le Blanc
Graham Clarke … La Salle
Frank Notaro … Giss
Runtime: 94 min.
James Van Helsen as Miguel Rodriguez, searching for a missing relative in Mexico in Guns of Honor (1994)
Adrian Steed as Sheldon, the former Confederate leading the former Rebels in Mexico in Guns of Honor (1994)
Memorable lines:
Ysabel Kid: “I hear my father’s blood cry out for revenge. This path is now my life. By the mark of the red hand of death, I swear it. Earth father, you hear me say it. Sun mother, you hear me say it. Do not let me live another season if I fail.”
Dusty: “Don’t you dare. I’ve had a real bad day. And blue always looks better with a splash of red.”
French sergeant: “There is only one thing I hate more than a wise-ass Indian. And that is a wise-ass half breed.”
Janine Denison as Belle Boyd, the former Confederate spy who finds herself south of the border in Guns of Honor (1994)
Tertius Meintjes as Capt. Bardeau, leader of the French troops in Guns of Honor (1994)
Frank Nataro as Giss, the man responsible for death of the Kid’s father in Guns of Honor (1994)
){kind=link}