Jon Jacobs plays Jake Finney, a gunman captured by a posse and scheduled to be hanged alongside a small-time outlaw named Steve West and a mute Indian girl.
On the way back to town, he carves a gun, uses the sheriff’s shoe polish to paint it black, then uses it to escape.
And he takes along reckless young Steve West, who merely wants to experience love before he dies.
He gets that chance thanks to Annie May, a pretty girl who helps the outlaws in their escape.
Finney’s love life doesn’t go so smoothly. Back in town, Stella has decided it’s best to move on without the roving gunman.
And so Finney finds another use for his wooden gun.
Likeable and obviously influenced by Spaghetti Westerns, but low-budget beyond belief.
Some scenes come off as downright silly, like when the townsfolk have to be told to clear the street and stop standing behind the sheriff before the final showdown. And like the shootout in the canyon.
And some of the extras … well, you wonder how in the world they wound up in front of a camera.
Directed by:
Jon Jacobs
Michael Kastenbaum
Cast:
Jon Jacobs … Jake Finney
Michael Kastenbaum … Steve West
Dawn Kapatos … Annie May
Stephen Polk … Sheriff
Haley Gilbert … Stella
Randala …. Mute Indian Squaw
Geoffrey Hughes … Boyd
Mitch Kelleher … Matt Kearn
Runtime: 91 min.
Song: “The Wooden Gun” plays as the credits roll.
Memorable lines:
Steve: “Jake, what’s it like, to be in love?”
Jake: “Worse than hanging. That’s for damn sure.”
Jake to Steve: “I got a lot of blood on my hands. I got an obligation to be honest with myself. I ain’t no hero. And I don’t expect no happy endings. You ain’t no hero either. And you’d be a fool to think you were.”
Steve, who’s just been wounded: “Am I going to die?”
Jake: “You’ll live, if you don’t bleed to death.”
Stella to Jake: “That’s what’s so bad about it. I thank God every time someone dies trying to bring you in.”
Stella to Jake: “I want you to go far away. Change your name, so when you do finally get yourself killed, word never reaches me.”