Honor Among Thieves (2021)

Thom Hallum is Jim Bain, veteran of two wars, a man who was seriously wounded in the Civil War.

Now he wants to live a peaceful life, even if it means eeking out a living running a stable in a sleepy Texas town. He’s vowed never to kill again.

Then Arliss Beauregard (Robert Keith) arrives, looking to recruit men to fight and money to finance the Southern war effort, especially in light of rumors that Gen. Lee is on the verge of surrendering.

Well-off Mexican rancher Ramiro Garza (Joe Perez) is among those Beauregard hopes will donate — perhaps as much as $1,000 per month.

When Garza refuses to cough up any funds, Beauregard decides to coerce him into doing so by kidnapping his pretty daughter Marisol (Elizabeth Tabish).

Garza promptly offers Jim Rain a $10,000 bounty to track down Beauregard and bring Marisol back unharmed.

He accomplishes the mission, locating Beauregard and Marisol in Jackson, Mississippi.

Marisol falls in love with him on the trip back and they marry.

But Bain’s days of wearing a gun haven’t ended. Two acquaintances of Beauregard’s — Tully and Waylon Ford — promptly rob Bain of the $10,000 and beat him to a point near dying.

Bain return to his quiet life. His marriage deteriorates. Until the opportunity arises to settle an old score.

Review:

This is a low-budget Western with a plot that rambles all over the place, nonsensically at times.

It merits two stars only because Thom Hallum does a decent acting job in the lead role and Elizabeth Tabish and Joe Perez are solid as the Garzas.

The villains? Oh, my. They’re more likely to make you laugh than cringe.

Meanwhile, director Brent Bentman dabbles in Spaghetti Western influences here and there, but fails to capture the edge or energy of those films.

My suggestion: Don’t pay to watch this film. But, hey, if you can get the address of that saloon, that might be worth your trouble.

There’s a “Free Beer Tomorrow” sign in every saloon scene.

Directed by:
Brent Bentman

Cast:
Thom Hallum … Jim (James Orville) Bain
Elizabeth Tabish … Marisol Garza
Robert Keith … Arliss Beauregard
Andy Arrasmith … Tully Ford
Corbett Hall … Huck
Joe Perez … Ramiro Garza
Jordan Walker Ross … The Patron
Tom Zemrod … The Virginian
Jason Watson … Bud Rogers
Warren Gavit … Waylon Ford

Runtime: 85 min.

Memorable lines:

Jim Bain, of the battle in which he was wounded: “We had the Yankees on the run … They didn’t know whether to scratch their watches or wind their asses.”

Jim Bain: “I came here to start again, with a peaceful life.”
Huck: “Well, you know what they say about people who start again. It’s a good thing. Kinda scary when you find what you’re made of in the process.”

Jim Bain: “I won’t kill Arliss without a good reason.”
Ramiro Garza, of his daughter: “If he touches on hair on her head …”
Bain: “That’s a good reason.”

Arliss Beauregard, of the $10,000 ransom he’s demanding: “Why with that kind of money, I could promote myself to general. Take command of my own private army. Hell, your father couldn’t touch me with a copper cannonball, even if he tried.”

Jim Bain: “No one wins a war. Poor people die. The rich get richer.”

Tulley Ford: “Don’t get your peppers in a wad, senorita.”

Robert Keith as Arliss Beauregard announces plans to marry Marisol (Elizabeth Tabish) in Honor Among Thieves (2021)

Corbert Hall as Huck, the bartender who befriends Jim Bain in Honor Among Thieves (2021)

Warren Gavit as Waylon Ford and Andy Arrasmith as Tully Ford, about to face a showdown with the man they robbed in Honor Among Thieves (2021)

Elizabeth Tabish as Marisol, trying to talk Jim out of a showdown with the men who robbed him in Honor Among Thieves (2021)