The Gunslingers (2009)

John Elliott plays Butch Norton, a bounty hunter who has the misfortune of delivering his latest capture, Rattler Fenton, to the Bostock Jail.

When he and self-appointed lawman Hez Bostock can’t agree on a reward price, both Butch and his captive wind up in that jail.

Narisa Suzuki plays Akemi, a young woman from Japan who’s been sold into slavery with her sister to pay off their father’s debt.

Turns out the man she was sold to is an acquaintance of Rattler Fenton, and Rattler supposedly knows the location of a fortune in gold.

That attracts half-badman, half-devil Mondego and his band of cut-throats. They attack a stagecoach, kill Rattler’s partner and Akemi’s sister as well.

Now Akemi is alone in a foreign country with one goal — to avenge her sister’s death.

That means all paths are headed to the Bostock jail.

In time, Butch, Akemi and two of the jailers servants — brothers Charley and Puco Chavez — teams up. The Chavez brothers are after gold, Akemi wants her revenge, and Butch … well, he just wants to $200 bounty he figures he’s owed for bringing in Rattler.

Review:

The film works only because the director and actors treat the material for what it is — campy fun. If you’re looking for a dead serious Western, look elsewhere. If you’re looking for a Western that’s a little better than most of the 21st century low-budget offerings, you might find this satisfying.

The biggest drawback is probably the slow-motion action scenes, and the far-out weirdness of Mondego’s cast of cut-throats. One cuts off heads. One prefers a club over a rifle. One prefers a sword over any sort of firearm. They’re all very good at drawing blood.

Ah, that’s another thing to know. The film isn’t for the extremely squeamish. Within the first few minutes, one character has been beheaded. There’s also a knife-to-the-eyeball scene that will probably catch you by surprise.

The best performances probably come from the Chavez brothers. Charley’s a tad slow and dreams of owning his own vegetable patch, but is honest as they come. He’s watched over by his slicker-talking brother Puco, who chafes under the rule of jailer Hez Bostock, who essentially “owns” them.

Directed by:
Adam Oxsen

Cast:
John Elliott … Butch Norton
Narisa Suzuki … Akemi Sun
Brad Allen … Rattler Fenton
Ben Hall … Mondego
Jason Leyva … Charley Chavez
Abel Becerra … Puco Chavez
Jack Hays … Sheriff Bostock
Jonathan Grant … Hezekiah Bostock
Lucas Ross … Jebediah Bostock
Morgan Brown … Hiram Firth
Mark Hanson … Hector
Ben Rodgers … Mr. Flynn
Ashley Mandanas … Otsu Sun

aka:
Ecstasy of the Gold

Score: Jeremy Engleman
and Adam Oxsen

Memorable lines:

Sheriff Bostock: “Poster says $100. Bounty’s $100.”
Butch Norton: “I don’t care what the damn handbill says. I do an honest job and I get paid. That’s all I’m looking for here. Honest wages for an honest job.”

Butch Norton: “I don’t draw my guns less I’m doin’ some killin’.”

Hez Bostock to Puco Chavez: “You better make sure your balls are as big as your words the next time you talk back to me.”

Puco Chavez: “Charley, got a hold of yourself. She’s just a lady.”
Charley Chavez: “A lady with a big gun.”

Mondego to Charley: “Know that if you are toying with me, I won’t just kill you and your brother. Your suffering will be so great, people will speak of it for decades. It will be a tale told to frighten children.”

Butch Norton: “So Rattler had gold up his ass all along. And here I thought he was just a dirty liar. Ironic’s what you call that.”

Trivia:

An alternate opening for the film, originally called Ecstasy of the Gold, opens in the town of Fallon with Rattler Fenton writing partner Hiram Firth about the fortune in gold he has found.

Morgan Brown as Hiram Firth in The Gunslingers (2009)

Ashley Mandanas as Otsu Sun in The Gunslingers (2009)

Narisa Suzuki as Akemi in The Gunslingers (2009)

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