The Decoy (2006)

Justin Kreinbrink plays John Cooper, deputy in the town of Gannon’s Gulch, Arizona.

His wife Kate (Marchelle Scarnier) is daughter of the owner of the local bank. And she’s just discovered she’s pregnant.

But life is about to take a very unpleasant turn for the young couple.

Bank owner Ron Watson wants to retire. He wants his daughter Kate to take over the bank, much to the chagrin of Earl, his long-time second-hand man.

So Earl hires a band of hoodlums to kill Ron Watson and his wife, Mary, before Kate can find out about her dad’s plans.

And Earl intends to get away with the slayings by framing mute Martin Lowery (Kevin Market) for the crime.

After all, Martin watched his father kill his mother, then turn the gun on himself. He’s got to be a little touched.

All goes as planned. Then the sheriff asks John Cooper to escort Martin to Tucson for hanging. The two have been friends forever.

And the real killers are starting to get nervous that the truth might come out during that trip.

Justin Kreinbrink as John Cooper, checking on a wounded deputy in The Decoy (2006)

Kevin Market as Martin Lowery, a mute jailed and accused of murder in The Decoy (2006)

Review:

Give it one star for effort. Give it a second for an original plot. But no more because a film with a fresh Western concept should have been much better.

Among the implausible plot twists — there’s the question of why a sheriff would have a man hungry for vengeance escort the accused killer to trial. Moments before he gets the assignment, John Cooper is threatening to kill Martin.

Then there’s the fear struck in the hearts of the bad guys the moment they find out Martin can write. Next thing you know … well, to give it away would spoil the surprise.

Better acting might have helped, too.

Marchelle Scarnier as Kate Cooper, watching John ride off to deliver Martin to justice in The Decoy (2006)

Jake McDaniel as Herb, the cold-blooded killer who murders the Watsons in The Decoy (2006)

Directed by:
Justin Kreinbrink

Cast:
Justin Kreinbrink … John Cooper
Kevin Market … Martin Lowery
Marchelle Scarnier … Kate Cooper
Tom Bushee … Earl
Gregory Sweet … Ron Watson
Susan Arnold … Mary Watson
William Killian … Sheriff Hingle
Jake McDaniel … Herb, hoodlum leader

Runtime: 101 min.

Tom Bushee as Earl, the longtime bank assistant who feels betrayed in The Decoy (2006)

Justin Kreinbrink as John Cooper and William Killian as Sheriff Hingle, facing trouble in the mercantile in The Decoy (2006)

Memorable lines:

Herb: “You know the nice thing about a quiet place like this?’
Mine owner: “What?”
Herb: “Nobody can hear you scream.”

Gregory Sweet as Ron Watson, informing Earl of his decision to have his daughter take over the bank in The Decoy (2006)

Susan Arnold as Mary Watson, wife of the retiring banker in The Decoy (2006)

Kevin Market as Martin Lowery, relying on old friend John Cooper for protection in The Decoy (2006)

Justin Kreinbrink as John Cooper, vowing vengeance for his in-laws’ deaths in The Decoy (2006)