Hell at My Heels (2011) - Once Upon a Time in a Western

Mason, sheriff of Rolling Rock, wakes up in the desert, handcuffed to a man he doesn’t know.

Seems he dared call out Big Ben Peters, who had set himself up as boss and lord of Rolling Rock.

Now Mason is missing his badge, and doesn’t know whether his wife is dead or alive.

Turns out the man he’s handcuffed to is a small-time hoodlum named Hubert, who is trying to turn his life around for the good of his fiancee and their unborn child.

But Big Ben’s got it out for him as well, framing him for a crime he didn’t commit.

Forced to become allies, the two head back toward town, determined to even the score.

Meanwhile, Mason’s wife is trying her best to avoid becoming one of the playthings in Big Ben’s saloon.

Peter Whittaker as Mason, trying to figure out where he is in Hell at My Heels (2011)

Jurgen Vollragh as Big Ben Peters, learning his adversary isn’t yet dead in Hell at My Heels (2011)

Review:

Imaginative opening makes you think you might be in for a pleasant Spaghetti Western style surprise. Don’t set your hopes too high. This gets two stars only because director Brett Kelly managed to make something borderline watchable on what must have been shoestring budget. Hell, maybe even a string of lace budget.

Clearly, extras were not part of that budget, so Big Ben shouts orders to what’s obviously an empty saloon. Clearly, horses were not part of that budget, so almost none of these cowboys ride anywhere, not even bounty killer Charlie Miles, who does walk around with a big knife and scowl a lot.

Judging from their Facebook pages, these folks aren’t serious actors or actresses either, which explains some of the wooden performances. But bigger budgets and bigger casts have accomplished less, so that’s at least a feather in the cap of Kelly and Peter Whittaker, who does a reasonable job as the sheriff seeking vengeance.

Debra Ereaut as Mason’s wife, finding herself in Big Ben’s saloon in Hell at My Heels (2011)

Ian Quick as Hubert, introducing himself to the man he’s handcuffed to in Hell at My Heels (2011)

Directed by:
Brett Kelly

Cast:
Peter Whittaker … Mason
Debra Ereaut … Mason’s wife
Ian Quick … Hubert
Jurgen Vollragh … Big Ben Peters
Frank Rothery … Frenchy
Mac Dale … Junior
Derick Fage … Clyde
Jay Odjick … Charlie Miles
Christine Emes … LuAnn

Runtime: 80 min.

Jay Qdjick as Charlie Miles, the hired killer Big Ben Peters hires in Hell at My Heels (2011)

Mac Dale as Junior and Frank Rothery as Frenchie, two of Big Ben’s henchmen in Hell at My Heels (2011)

Memorable lines:

Big Ben: “Why weren’t they dead?”
Junior: “Well, we didn’t kill them.”
Big Ben: “Now why didn’t you boys kill them?”
Junior: “Well, you said, to drop them off and let the buzzards have their way with them.”
Big Ben: “Ahh, now you boys do understand that buzzards only eat dead men, right?”

Big Ben to Mason’s wife: “Well, now, here’s the thing. You see, you’re not the first wild thing I’ve had to tame, and you won’t be the last.”

Hubert: “You seem pretty confident.”
Mason: “It’s the only plan I got. Better confident than not.”

Peter Whittaker, learning more about the man he’s been handcuffed to in Hell at My Heels (2011)

Ian Quick as Hubert, forced on the vengeance trail with Mason thanks to a pair of handcuffs in Hell at My Heels (2011)

Christine Emes as LuAnn, Hubert’s wife, getting bad news in Hell at My Heels (2011)

Debra Ereaut as Mason’s wife, ready to defend her man in Hell at My Heels (2011)

Jurgen Vollragh, showing off the badge he stole from Mason to pin on his own chest in Hell at My Heels (2011)