Last Stand at Saber River (1997)

Tom Selleck is Paul Cable, a Confederate soldier who returns home from the Civil War just before the conflict ends to find that his wife (Suzy Amis as Martha) and two children believed he was dead.

They welcome him back, though Martha still can’t understand why he left her alone to raise three children; the fact that the youngest died while he was at war doesn’t help.

They decide to leave Texas, where Martha’s been staying with her father, and return to the Arizona homestead they’d started before the war.

But the Cables get a cold welcome there from the Kidstons, a family of Northern sympathizers who own a large ranch and have taken over their homestead.

Duane Kidston (David Carradine) still wears a Northern uniform, though he lost his commission. Brother Vern (Keith Carradine) vows to see Cable dead, especially after someone kills Duane.

And lovely Lorraine (Tracey Needham), Duane’s daughter, isn’t above using her female charms to drive a wedge between Cable and his wife, if it will help the family cause.

As for the Southern cause, a trader named Janroe (David Dukes) is still convinced the war can be won. He winds up causing problems for both families.

Tom Selleck as Paul Cable, looking to steer clear of trouble in Last Stand at Saber River (1997)

Suzy Amis is Martha Cable, a woman with a marriage strained by war in Last Stand at Saber River (1997)

Review:

Well done at a time when Selleck was starring in a number of modest-budgeted TV Westerns.

He and Keith Carradine are solid as always; Tracey Needham makes for a welcome distraction, whether wearing her riding duds or playing temptress.

But what makes the film unique is the focus on the tension between Martha (Suzy Amis) and Paul (Selleck) as they try to continue a marriage strained by war.

He knows he’s been changed by the horrors of war. She knows he couldn’t have saved the daughter they lost had he been around, but still can’t help being bitter.

Western vet Harry Carey Jr. has a minor role as Martha’s father.

Keith Carradine as Vern Kidston, brother of Duane in Last Stand at Saber River (1997)

David Carradine as Duane Kidston, wanting Arizona free of ex-Confederates in Last Stand at Saber River (1997)

Directed by:
Dick Lowry

Cast:
Tom Selleck … Paul Cable
Suzy Amis … Martha Cable
Rachel Duncan … Clare Cable
Haley Joel Osment … Davis Cable
Keith Carradine … Vern Kidston
David Carradine … Duane Kidston
Tracey Needham … Lorraine Kidston
Harry Carey Jr. … James Stanford
Patrick Kilpatrick … Austin Dodd
Denis Forest … Cornet
David Dukes … Edward Janroe
Chris Stacy … Chris
Michael Osment … Wynn Dodd
Lumi Cavazos … Luz
Raymond Cruz … Manuel

Runtime: 96 min.

Tracey Needham as Lorraine Kidston, turning her charm on Paul Cable in Last Stand at Saber River (1997)

David Dukes as Edward Janroe, the gunrunner who doesn’t believe the war is over in Last Stand at Saber River (1997)

Memorable lines:

Paul Cable, returning from the Civil War: “Truth is, I got shot in the butt. And I don’t remember feeling heroic.”

Duane Kidston: “hey said you was dead.”
Paul Cable: “Wishful thinking for some.”

Paul Cable to wife Martha: “I don’t wanna live with a woman that don’t like me. Think on it. If that’s what it is, I’ll take you back to Texas.”

Lorraine Kidston, playing the seductress: “You afraid of my father, Mr. Cable? Or me? Or yourself?”

Lorraine Kidston, to her father: “Mr. Cable was a perfect gentleman. My honor’s intact. Unfortunately. In any event, a gun battle to reclaim my reputation would be gratuitous.”

Martha Cable: “We don’t control our lives. We pretend we do. But it’s self-deception.”

Rachel Duncan as Clare Cable, daughter of Martha and Paul Cable in Last Stand at Saber River (1997)

Haley Joel Osment as Davis Cable, son of Paul and Martha Cable in Last Stand at Saber River (1997)

Harry Carey Jr. as James Stanford, Martha Cable’s father in Last Stand at Saber River (1997)

Lumi Cavazos as Luz, trader Edward Janroe’s woman in Last Stand at Saber River (1997)

Raymond Cruz as Manuel, Luz’s brother in Last Stand at Saber River (1997)

Tom Selleck as Paul Cable, a Civil War vet looking to rebuild his life in Last Stand at Saber River (1997)