Dead River is a town in trouble. Travis McCain (William Shockley) has moved in, opened The Raven saloon and whorehouse and started offering protection to the good townsfolk.
Those who aren’t interested in paying for protection … well, they might soon find themselves in need of it.
That’s certainly the case for the owners of the Majestic Saloon — Thomas Morgan (Peter Coyote) and his wife Sarah.
In fact, McCain’s determined to win Morgan’s support, or make him pay the price. And the town sheriff (Newell Alexander) is powerless to do anything about it.
Into town rides bounty hunter Cole Brandt (Andrew W. Walker), still looking for the killers of his wife and son five years after they died.
But the cowboy from “nowhere and everywhere” might find a reason to care about something other than vengeance in Dead River.
Because there’s also a pretty whore named Cassey May (Allison Gordon) who’s also under Travis McCain’s thumb.
And she’s definitely in need of protection.
Andrew W. Walker as Cole Brandt relaxing at The Raven Saloon in The Gundown, (2011)
William Shockley as Travis McCain, offering protection to Thomas Morgan in The Gundown (2011)
Review:
OK, it’s a little on the low budget side, some of the plot twists are predictable and Cole seems just a mite too invincible. But it’s also a big step above lots of Westerns being made in the 21st Century.
Director Dutin Rickert keeps the action coming, and Veronica Diaz helps spice things up as Dulce de la Rosa, a female gunfighter aligned with McCain.
There’s also a solid performance from Sheree J. Wilson as the wife of the Majestic’s owner. And Andrew Walker is likeable in the lead.
William Shockley makes for a menacing villain, even if his rapid descent into savagery at the end of the film makes little sense for a protector who already has most of the town under his thumb.
Andrew Walker has had key roles on a number of TV shows, including “Student Bodies” and “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.” He also starred in another 2011 Western called “Mounties.” William Shockley’s best known role was spending six seasons as saloon and brothel owner Hank Lawson on “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.” Sheree Wilson played “April Stevens” on Dallas for five years.
Allison Gordon as Cassey May, the whore attracted to the mysterious stranger in The Gundown (2011)
Sheree J. WIlson as Sarah Morgan, determined to carry on despite a tragic death in The Gundown (2011)
Directed by:
Dustin Rikert
Cast:
Andrew W. Walker .. Cole Brandt
William Shockley … Travis McCain
Peter Coyote … Thomas Morgan
Sheree J. Wilson … Sarah Morgan
Tyler Kain … Lilly Morgan
Paul McCarthy-Boyington … Newman Hicks
Allison Gordon … Cassey May
Daniel Buran … Tug O’Dell
Veronica Diaz … Dulce de la Rosa
Newell Alexander … Sheriff Deets
Runtime: 97 min.
aka:
True Gun
Veronica Diaz as Dulce de la Rosa, watching her lover manipulate the townsfolk in The Gundown (2011)
Paul McCarthy-Boyington as Newman HIcks, Thomas Morgan’s assistant in The Gundown (2011)
Memorable lines:
Thomas Morgan to Travis McCain: “Let me be as clear as shit on a sheet, I will never pay you a cent for protection.”
Sheriff Deets: “I know what you’re thinking. But I ain’t part of the problem.”
Sarah Morgan: “Well you sure ain’t been part of the solution, either. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and clean up what’s left of my husband off the floor.”
Sheriff Deets: “A lot of things don’t seem right out here these days.”
Cole: “Sounds like someone’s shittin’ in your stew.”
Deets: “Yeah, and I’ve been eatin’ it for a while. But this is one man that wants to figure things out before going back for a second helping.”
Travis McCain, trying to get Cole and Newman to leave the saloon and surrender to him: “I’ll take your lack of response as a ‘F–k you.'”
Andrew W. Walker as Cole Brandt, ready to even the odds in The Gundown (2011)
Peter Coyote as Thomas Morgan, rejecting Travis McCain’s offer of protection in The Gundown (2011)
Tyler Kain as Lilly Morgan, daughter of the Majestic owners, reacting to a tragic turn of events in The Gundown (2011)
Newell Alexander as Sheriff Deets, warning Sarah Morgan of the danger she’s in in The Gundown (2011)
Allison Gordon as Cassey May, offering to lend Cole Brandt a hand in The Gundown (2011)
Veronica Diaz as Dulce de la Rosa in Gundown (2011)
William Shockley as Travis McCain, threatening Cassey May in The Gundown (2011)
Andrew W. Walker as Cole Brandt, dispensing justice with his six-gun in The Gundown (2011)
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