Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Joe Cornet is Sheriff Vernon Kelly and Alexander Nevysky is Ivan Turchaninov and they return to the town of Blind Chapel to find a grizzly scene.

New school teacher Margaret is lying in a pool of her own blood, near death. Her cousins, the sheriff’s fiancée Jenny Grey (Kerry Goodwin) and Valerie (Irina Antonenko) are missing.

Worst news: They’ve been taken captive by a posse of skin traders, who sell women and young girls to work as whores south of the border.

And this posse of skin traders is under direction of Watuku, half-Comanche, half-Kiowa and part demon, according to Angel, an Indian scout whose family suffered a similar fate.

So the sheriff and Ivan ride off after Watuku and his captives. After all, Angel’s familiar with the spot where the sale will be made.

What they don’t expect is a new encounter with an old enemy, a Col. Ethan Crawley (Matthias Hues), who should be lanquishing in a Sante Fe prison.

Instead, he’s escaped. And now he’s the mastermind behind Watuku and his skin-trading band of gunmen.

Alexander Nevyshy as Ivan Turchaninov, a former Union commander who’s started a new life out West in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Joe Cornet as Sheriff Vernon Kelly, on a mission to rescue five ladies from slave traders in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Review:

Take away the opening credits, the ending credits and flashback sequences from 2023’s “Gunfight at Rio Bravo” and there might be an hour of new footage here.

Genre fans aren’t likely to mind too much. Because a rousing opening scene is followed by a 21st century Western directed and filmed with more gusto than most.

This marks the sixth Western from Joe Cornet and his second teaming with star Alexander Nevysky, with more on the way.

Nevysky plays his part as an Arnold Schwarzenegger-style killing machine of a Western hero. If there’s a gripe, it’d be that he mows down the bad guys a mite too easily.

Sean Murray provides a nice score, a bit reminiscent of the Spaghetti Western themes from days gone by.

Irene Antonenko as Valerie, one of the women snatched from her home by skin traders in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Kerry Goodwin as Jenny Grey, the woman Sheriff Kelly hopes to marry, if he can rescue her from skin traders in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Directed by:
Joe Cornet

Cast:
Alexander Nevysky … Ivan Turchaninov
Joe Cornet … Sheriff Vernon Kelly
Kerry Goodwin … Jenny Grey
Irina Antonenko … Valerie
James Chalke … Watuku
Cliff Owens … Haskell
Matthias Hues … Col. Ethan Crawley
Don “The Dragon” Wilson … Angel
Sam Dobbins … Wesley Garrett
Robert Madrid … Doc Adams
Cynthia Rothrock … Margaret
Tatiana Neva … Ellen — female bounty hunter
Jon Mack … Diana
Madelyn Allen … Emily
Maria Paris … Angela
Art Comancho … Comanchero
John Marrs … Bud Cafferey

Runtime: 80 min.

Song: “They Ride”
performed by Tatiana Neva
written by Sean Murray

James Chalke as Watuku, giving his female captives an unenviable choice in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Cliff Owens as Haskell, relishing the idea of disciplining one of Watuku’s captives in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Memorable lines:

Doc Adams, becoming temporary sheriff: “I can’t promise anyone’s going to take me seriously.”
Ivan passes him a six-gun: “They will now.”
Doc, lifting the pistol: “I couldn’t hit a bull’s ass if it was 6 inches in front of me.”

Watuku, threatening his captives after Valerie misbehaves: “Now there ain’t one of you I won’t gladly cut down if I gotta. You’re nothing but a piece of meat to me. Remember that!”

Sheriff Vernon, after an encounter with a female bounty hunter: “You know, this territory is getting stranger all the time.”
Ivan Turchin: “It sure is.”

Col. Crawley to Wesley Garrett, the man buying his captives: “I bring the meat. You bring the money. And I don’t think I like lunkheads who change deals. Hope you don’t think of scrapping with us, cause you’re gonna get whipped bad.”

Matthias Hues as Col. Ethan Crawley, the man who’s supposed to be in jail, but is instead operating a skin trading business in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson as Angel, an Indian scout all too familiar with slave trader Watuku in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Sam Dobbins as Wesley Garrett, the man in the market for female flesh in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Tatina Neva as Ellen, the female bounty hunter the sheriff and Ivan cross paths with in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Madelyn Allen as Emily and Maria Paris as Angela, two of the women who need to be rescued in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Jon Mack as Diana, a captive of slave traders repulsed by the thought of spending time alone with Watuku in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Captives Jenny (Kerry Goodwin) and Valerie (Irina Antonenko) begging for something to eat and drink in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)

Joe Cornet as Sheriff Kelly and Alexander Nevysky as Ivan Turchaninov, wary of an approaching stranger in Taken from Rio Bravo (2024)