The year is 1907 and two sumo wrestlers are bound for Washington, D.C., and an exhibition in front of President Teddy Roosevelt.
Repairs to their train temporarily strand them in the Old West town of Goldwood, and the timing couldn’t be worse.
Sheriff West tries to disarm three card players. Gunfire erupts. In the chaos that follows, the sheriff and two card players are killed, one of the card players at the hands of Sumo champion Ichiro.
There’s worse news to come. One of the card players was Noel Kingrey, younger brother of a notorious outlaw Jarrett Kingrey (Joe Cornet).
He visits Judge Dwight Ogburn (Nick Baillie) and threatens to kill everyone in Goldwood and burn the town to the ground in three days.
The one alternative: The judge can turn over the two sumo wrestlers. Plus every penny in the coffers of every business in town.
Instead, Judge Ogburn goes looking for allies. He finds a lethal one in a gambler-gunslinger known as Max (Alexander Nevsky).
Max came to Goldwood looking to make money at the gambling table. He’s reluctant to put his life in danger in a strange town. But he’ll change his mind for $500.
Alexander Nevsky as Max, the stranger who arrives in Goldwood hoping to make money gambling in The Wide West (2025)
Joe Cornet as Jarrett Kingrey, an outlaw gang leader dictating terms to the Goldwood judge in The Wide West (2025)
Review:
Six Westerns into his directing career, Joe Cornet knows how to put together a great looking, pretty well-acted, fairly stylish Western.
Don’t expect much in terms of a complex plot, and you’ll find this a pleasant 81-minute diversion.
Of course, it would help if Jarrett Kingrey’s feared gang wasn’t filled with aging and overweight henchman.
Or if Alexander Nevsky dressed more like the gambler-gunslinger he’s portraying and less like an extra from The Terminator.
Speaking of Nevsky, this marked his third film with Cornet. This time around, they play foes rather than partners in justice.
Tatiana Neva, who had a bit part as a deadly bounty hunter in 2024’s “Taken from Rio Bravo,” dresses us the screen as a lovely lass who takes an immediate liking to Max.
And judging from the credits, inspiration for the film came from the real-life exploits of Hitachiyama, Japanese sumo champ from 1903-1914 who indeed visited the U.S. and met multiple times with Teddy Roosevelt.
Nick Baillie as Judge Dwight Ogburn, ready to help defend the town of Goldwood in The Wide West (2025)
Tatiana Neva as Sybil Malone, taking a liking to Max, the sranger who arrives in Goldwood in The Wide West (2025)
Directed by:
Joe Cornet
Cast:
Alexander Nevsky … Max
Tatiana Neva … Sybil Malone
Joe Cornet … Jarrett Kingrey
Nick Baillie … Judge Dwight Ogburn
Sean Murray … Mayor Slawson
Kerry Goodwin … Lolly Mabree
Hiroki Sumi … Daiki
Takashi Ichinojo … Ichiro
Kax Kobayashi … Takanosuke
Madelyn Allen … Sally
Lee Dawson … President Teddy Roosevelt
Ernie Ventry .. Triggs
Buddy Clements .. Sheriff West
Bryan Murtha … Noel Kingrey
Runtime: 81 min.
Takashi Ichinojo as Ichiro, sumo wrestler doing his part with a bow and arrow in The Wide West (2025)
Hiroki Sumi as Daiki, a sumo wrestler introducing himself to a saloon girl in The Wide West (2025)
Memorable lines:
Daiki, one of the sumo wrestlers, enjoying a drink in a Goldwood bar: “Nice place. Are girls good?”
Max: “Depends on what you want them to be good at.”
Neil Kingrey, when the town sheriff demands his gun: “We figure our lead pushers belong to us. And that means they’re gonna stay with us.”
Judge Ogburn, surprised when the Kingrey gang arrives a day earlier than expected: “You gave me three days.”
Jarrett Kingrey: “Oh, that. I lied.”
Triggs, Kingrey’s lead henchman, out of bullets as Max approaches, gun drawn: “You want to make it fair, big man.”
Max: “I want to shoot you. But I will wait.”
Kax Kobayashi as Takanosuke, explaing the dagger sumo referees take into the ring in The Wide West (2025)
Kerry Goodwin as Lolly Mabree, the tavern owner with a secret in The Wide West (2025)
Bryan Murtha as Noel Kingrey, starting the trouble in Goldwood be refusing to turn over his ‘lead pusher’ in The Wide West (2025)
Ernie Ventry as Twiggs, one of Jarrett Kingrey’s lead henchmen, preparing for a showdown in The Wide West (2025)
Madelyn Allen as Sally, a saloon girl exchanging glances with sumo wrestler Daiki in The Wide West (2025)
Lee Dawson as President Teddy Roosevelt, learning fo special visitors arriving in the United States in The Wide West (2025)
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