Stef Dawson is Julie Richards, a young woman whose mother died when she was young and who is disowned by her father, forcing her into a life of prostitution.

She lands in the lap of the much older Kyle Allison (Robert Craighead). He’s the most powerful man in Goldfield and he isn’t reluctant to use his power to bend others to his will.

As for Julie, she’s his trophy, his whore, to be used at his whim and abused without provocation.

Allison hires an enforcer named Frank Dean (Matt Dallas) to do his dirty work. And when Allison replaces Julie with an even younger girl, making sure the “old” whore doesn’t cause problems becomes Dean’s latest assignment.

With nowhere to turn, Julie flees West and winds up being rescued by a mustanger named Vince Wagner (David Thomas Jenkins).

She’s untrusting at first, especially when she learns his partner is an Indian named Chato (Kiowa Gordon). But she comes to love the simple life they lead.

Yet she’s haunted. By Allison and all the men who came before him. And by the cruelty of Frank Dean.

Review:

If you’re looking for shoot-’em-up-action, from start to finish, look elsewhere. You’ll likely find this film a bore.

If you’re content with a slow-paced, well-told story about an abused young woman yearning for a second chance at life, this is a wonderful little gem.

Everyone in the cast can act — something you seldom find in moderately budgeted Westerns these days.

Dawson turns in a solid performance, the type that makes it easy to root for her character. And director Cotton serves up two villains you’ll have no trouble despising.

He serves up a number of beautifully filmed and memorable scenes as well.

Oh, and the film’s title — it doesn’t mean what you think.

Stef Dawson as Julie Richards in Painted Woman (2017)

David Thomas Jenkins as Vince Wagner in Painted Woman (2017)

Directed by:
James Cotton

Cast:
Stef Dawson … Julie Richards
Matt Dallas … Frank Dean
Kiowa Gordon … Chato
David Thomas Jenkins … Vince Wagner
Robert Craighead … Kyle Allison
J. Alan Davison … Harty Allison
Monica Pena … Maria Gonzalez
Laurel Harris … Ellie Anderson
Drew Pollack … Carl Anderson
Keagan Melton … Buffer Anderson
Chris Frielhofer … John Tilby
Joshua McGowen … Lane Tilby
Kristen Melling … Annabelle Tilby

Runtime: 108 min.

Matt Dallas as Frank Dean in Painted Woman (2017)

Robert Craighead as Kyle Allison in Painted Woman (2017)

Memorable lines:

Kyle Allison: “A fool don’t get rich. And a dead man don’t take it with him.”

Frank Dean: “A gentleman should never strike a lady.”
Julie Richards: “You kill people.”
Dean: “Only the bad ones.”

Chato, to Julie: “You’re here now. Here and now is better than wherever you were.”

Vince Wagner, after one of his mustangs throws Julie: “I told you not to ride that horse.”
Julie: “I don’t need you to tell me anything. I have spent my whole life having men tell me what to do. And I’m done!”