LeGrand (2024)

Ethan Wayne is James LeGrand, who sets out with his son Ben (Ben Christensen) to deliver feed to a longtime acquaintance named Sully.

Sully’s in poor health. Near the end of his line in fact. So he asks James for a favor.

Sully has decided to leave his entire inheritance, including a sizeable ranch, to a female member of his family, denying his first-born son in the process.

He wants James to deliver those papers, warning him that his first-born son Bays (Beau Smith) will stop at nothing to prevent it.

Sully’s certainly right on that count. Bays even hires a man known as the Butcher to help track down those inheritance papers.

When he succeeds, Bays springs a trap on the camp the LeGrands have set up for the night. Father and son are both seriously wounded.

But before the bandits can close in, son Ben LeGrand mounts up, inheritance papers in his saddlebags, and makes his getaway.

Now he has a singular mission: To deliver those papers to their rightful owner and keep them out of the hands of Bays and his accomplices.

He’ll need help from several people he meets along the way to accomplish that mission.

Ben Christensen as Ben LeGrand, facing a possible end to his long journey in LeGrand (2024)

Beau Smith as Bayes, out to get the inheritance he believes is rightfully his in LeGrand (2024)

Review:

The film was a two-year passion project for director Ben Christensen and made in conjunction with John Wayne enterprises.

In a two-minute intro, Ethan Wayne admits “we didn’t have a lot to do it with. I mean, ‘Hell, we didn’t even have a script.'”

But, you know what, they did a hell of a nice job telling a simple story. In terms of appearance and atmosphere, this is worlds better than most low-budget Westerns being released today.

Majestic scenery helps. So does great cinematography. So does an excellent score, provided by Luke Despain. Well-worn, gritty costumes help make the cast believable.

Heck, even the action scenes come off well with the help of quick cuts and tight editing.

Best news of all, Western fans, you can check it out for free on YouTube. It’s worth a watch just to appreciate what the filmmakers accomplished on an obviously limited budget.

David Casillas as Boni, one of the men who befriends Ben LeGrand on his journey, though he could have ulterior motives in LeGrand (2024)

Ethan Wayne as James LeGrand, thinking about the long journey ahead in LeGrand (2024)

Directed by:
Ben Christensen

Cast:
Ethan Wayne … James LeGrand
Ben Christensen … Ben LeGrand
Beau Smith … Bays
Buster Frierson … Butcher
David Casillas … Boni
Shele Hollowbone … Medicine Woman
Meredith Scroggs … The beneficiary

Also featuring: Dusty Greene, Hayden Redwine, Gail Steiger, Ricky Guerra

Runtime: 77 min.

Meredith Scroggs as the woman who’s supposed to receive the inheritance in LeGrand (2024)

Buster Frierson as Butcher, helping locate the LeGrands and the inheritance papers in LeGrand (2024)

Memorable lines:

Bays, about to smother his dad: “I got an extra pillow for ya, pa. Just go to sleep.”

Bays to James LeGrand: “I’d rather have a bucket full of rocks than an empty gun there, LeGrand.”

James LeGrand to Bays: “The likes of you don’t have the stones to catch my boy.”

Bays to Ben LeGrand: “You only die once. Make it count.”

Bays to Ben LeGrand: “You know, I only want what’s mine. Says in the Bible, first born son gets everything.”

David Casillas as Boni and Ben Christensen as Ben LeGrand, preparing for trouble in LeGrand (2024)