Texas Rangers (2001)

Dylan McDermott plays Leander McNelly, a former preacher who fought for the Confederates in the Civil War, but returns home to find his family kidnapped and his beloved southern Texas under the control of marauding cattle thieves and bandits.

Dying a slow death from illness himself, he reluctantly agrees to revive the Texas Rangers, who had been disbanded at the start of the war.

He wants 30 recruits, and finds plenty of young men willing to join on.

Those include Lincoln Dunnison (James Van Der Beek), who saw his family gunned down by outlaws; George Durham (Ashton Kutcher), the only survivor when a cattle drive was ambushed; and Scipio (Usher Raymond), who’s anxious to prove a black man can be more than a scout.

Under the command of McNelly, Sgt. Armstrong (Robert Patrick) and Frank Bones (Randy Travis), the Rangers enjoy early success, wiping out a small band of outlaws even though they have a gatling gun in their possession.

But these are the men of John King Fisher (Alfred Molina).And they’re a vicious but well-disciplined bunch, unlikely to be caught napping twice.

Review:

OK, there are a few cliches, like the black Texas Ranger (Usher Raymond) who has to win respect, then winds up saving the life of the commander who most resented his race.

But for the most part, this is good-old Western fun, complete with a rousing score, solid performances by Dylan McDermott and James Van Der Beek and comic relief from a this-time-bearable Ashton Kutcher.

The battle sequences are particularly well handled and, at just 90 minutes, the film doesn’t hang around long enough to bore you.

As for the ladies, Rachael Leigh Cook plays the young southern belle at the Dukes ranch who turns the heads of both Ashton and James; Leonor Varela is a pretty young Mexican woman kidnapped from a traveling show to “perform” for King Fisher and his men.

Yes, that is Usher the singer in the role of the scout who aspires to be a rifleman for the Rangers. He had appeared in three previous films, actually, with supporting roles in “The Faculty” (1998) and “She’s All That” (1999) and a starring role in “Light it Up” (also 1999). By the way, “She’s All That” starred Rachael Leigh Cook, the female lead in this film.

James Van Der Beek was in the middle of a run as Dawson Leery in the popular cable TV series “Dawson’s Creek” (1998-2003), when he was cast as the young and inexperienced Texas Ranger from Philadelphia in this film.

Directed by:
Steve Miner

Cast:
Dylan McDermott … Leander McNelly
James Van Der Beek … Lincoln Rogers Dunnison
Ashton Kutcher … George Durham
Usher Raymond … Randolph Douglas Scipio
Alfred Molina … John King Fisher
Rachael Leigh Cook … Caroline Dukes
Leonor Varela … Perdita
Robert Patrick … Sgt. John Armstrong
Randy Travis … Frank Bones
Tom Skerritt … Richard Dukes
Marco Leonardi … Jesus Sandoval

Score: Trevor Rabin

Runtime: 90 min.

Memorable lines:

John King Fisher: “I bid 50.”
Auctioneer at cattle sale: “Fifty what?”
Fisher, as his gunmen ride up: “Fifty of them.”

George Durham: “Land this beautiful — no wonder everyone’s killing over her.”

Sgt. John Armstrong, of Dunnison as he trains to be a Texas Ranger: “Boy rides a horse like he’s riding a sister. He knows he’s doing something wrong.”

Sam Walters, to Lincoln Rogers Dunnison, as he tries to assassinate McNelly: “Suck my spur, you secretary. I brought a bullet for you, too.”

McNelly: “The meek will inherit the earth. Somebody’s gotta go and get it ready for them.”

Rachael Leigh Cook as Caroline Dukes in Texas Rangers (2001)

Leonor Varela as Perdita in Texas Rangers (2001)