Brando White is Martin ‘Jack’ Feeny, a wandering cowhand who has spent a summer working on a farm and fallen in love with pretty Olivia Welles (Kelsey Edwards).
He wants to marry Olivia, but is convinced she deserves better than a “nobody” cowhand.
So he heads off to make a name for himself, get rich and return as a man worthy of marrying Olivia.
Three years later, he’s wearing a hat he found discarded in the snow.
It belonged to a notorious gunman named “Bloody” Ben Harris. And when folks start assuming Jack is “Bloody” Ben … well, he certainly doesn’t correct them.
Among those folks is a man named Chaco, who wants to hire Jack, aka “Bloody” Ben, to avenge a friend killed in a bank robbery.
Jack accepts, but first wants Chaco to help him find hidden pirate treasure smuggled West by Confederates during the Civil War.
According to a barfly known as Stinky, it’s hidden in a cave in the mountains not far away. Stinky even has a map showing the location.
Back on the Welles farm, things aren’t going so well. In fact, Olivia is on the verge of marrying a man she doesn’t love to save the farm.
Just as they’ve about to exchange vows, her tough-as-nails sister Edna Mae rides up and rescues Olivia.
On their travels, they come across a dying man who stinks. And who has a map to hidden gold that could save the family farm.
So the sisters head off in search of the same fortune Jack and his new friends are seeking.
Meanwhile, “Bloody” Ben Harris wants his hat. He also wants the man who is using his name.
Brando White as ‘Jack’ Feeny, pretending to be a notorious outlaw in The Counterfeit Kid (2023)
Kelsey Edwards as Olivia Welles, balking at Jack’s decision to head off to make a name for himself in The Counterfeit Kid (2023)
Review:
Don’t think too long about the plot. Because it makes no sense that Jack would disappear for three years and still be so close to Olivia that they wind up searching for the same hidden gold.
That plot point aside, this is a charming little comedy Western, filled with fine performances.
Sariah Hopkin nearly steals the show as Olivia’s supposedly homely sister Edna Mae. Her encounters with Jack are particularly amusing.
Bryce Fernelius, as Chaco, and Bob Sagers, as a disgraced reverend with a fondness for alcohol, also turn in solid performances as Jack’s new partners.
Sariah Hopkin as Edna May Welles, Olivia’s tough as nails sister in The Counterfeit Kid (2023)
Matt Mascaro as ‘Bloody’ Ben Harris, looking for the man wearing his hat and using his name in The Counterfeit Kid (2023)
Directed by:
Matthew Taggart
Cast:
Brando White … Martin ‘Jack’ Feeny
Kelsey Edwards … Olivia Welles
Bryce Fernelius … Chaco
Sariah Hopkin … Edna May Welles
Matt Mascaro … ‘Bloody’ Ben Harris
Bob Sagers … The Rev. Jerry Payne
Robert Milo Andrus … Flatface Jennings
Ron Hausman … Stinky
Bradley Mackay … Cooper Jennings
Jesse Faggioli … The Savior
Virginia Schmidt … Eleanor Garrovick
David Liddell Thorpe … Dusty
Melinda Yeaman … Citrine
Runtime: 97 min.
Bryce Fernelius as Chaco, hiring Jack to avenge a friend because he thinks he’s a notorious gunman in The Counterfeit Kid (2023)
Bob Sagers as The Rev. Jerry Payne, who’s stolen money from his flock to fund his liquor habit in The Counterfeit Kid (2023)
Memorable lines:
Citrine, a barmaid, to Jack Feeny: “Be careful who you dress up as, cowhand.”
Edna Mae to her sister after they’ve run out on Olivia’s wedding and find themselves wandering aimlessly through the wilderness: “Moses got water from a rock. We’ll think of something. Just need to have a little faith.”
Chaco, after someone throws a bottle, hit him in the head and knocks him off his horse: “This is an ambush.” He grabs his rifle. “This is an ambush!”
Edna Mae: “You know something? You don’t look like a ruthless gunslinger to me.”
Jack: “Well, you know, they say those are the most dangerous kind. The ones who look innocent.”
Robert Milo Andrus as Flatface Jennings, the female card player Jack offends in The Counterfeit Kid (2023)
Bradley Mackay as Cooper Jennings, husband of Flatface, getting even with Jack in The Counterfeit Kid (2023)
Ron Hausman as Stinky, the man with a man to buried treasure in The Counterfeit Kid (2023)
Brando White as Jack Feeny and Kelsey Edwards as Olivia Welles, reunited but in trouble in The Counterfeit Kid (2023)
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