This Bloody Country (2025)

Martin Dingle Wall is Ned Campbell, an Australian who’s been living in the West for years and has been hired by the Mormon church to guide a family to a new outpost in Arizona Territory.

The family includes prophet Josiah Ballard (Larry Cedar), his three wives, his much younger brother and Josiah’s four children.

Josiah is used to ruling his family with an iron fist and having his orders obeyed, especially by wives Lillith (Maggie Gwin), Abigail (Rainey Qualley) and Martha (Cameron Meyer).

When bandits show up, Campbell cares about none of that. He just wants to survive and help the Ballard clan do the same.

But it won’t be easy as they travel West with hand-drawn carts, no animals and no men besides himself familiar with how to use a gun.

Against Ballard’s wishes, he decides to arm the women, who are more than happy to embrace more control over their own destiny.

And Campbell finds himself drawn to Lillith, a woman who just lost her only son, is constantly ridiculed by her husband and is battling consumption.

Martin Dingle Wall as New Campbell, the Australian being paid a nice sum to guide a Mormon family in This Bloody Country (2025)

Maggie Gwin as Lillith Ballard, finding herself smitten with the man who’s leading her family to the town of Grace in Arizona Territory (2025)

Review:

An impressive feature-length directorial debut from Craig Packard, well worth the time for any fan of Westerns.

And don’t let the presence of a Mormon family scare you off. The goal of the film is to entertain, not preach. It does the former much better than most Westerns being released these days.

In fact, there’s a delightful scene in which Ned Campbell explains to Lillith why he doesn’t pray with the Ballard family.

Just be forewarned, this is not an action-packed Western. Most of the tension results from the dynamics within the small group and the ever-present fear that the bandits will return.

I just have a couple of questions. Shouldn’t Ned Campbell have a horse? And for a family with such a disdain for violence, how did the Ballards wind up with so many six-shooters?

Larry Cedar as Josiah Ballard, a man used to ruling his family and his three wives with an iron fist in This Bloody Country (2025)

Jacob Ward as Nathaniel Ballard, eager to prove himself as a young man under Ned Campbell’s tutelage in This Bloody Country (2025)

Directed by:
Craig Packard

Cast:
Martin Dingle Wall … Ned Campbell
Maggie Gwin … Lilith Ballard
Larry Cedar … Josiah Ballard
Jacob Ward … Nathaniel Ballard
Rainey Qualley .. Abigail Ballard
Cameron Meyer … Martha Ballard
Zipporah Cardozo … Sarah Ballard
Georgia Coles … Charity Ballard
Jedidia Byer … Jedediah
Adam Hightower … Earl Mitchell
Andrew Key … Prescott ‘Mitch’ Mitchell
Brookelyn Lindley … Hope Ballard
Elijah Moran … Gary
Charlie Stover … Abraham Ballard
Lilly Mae Stover … Young Lillith
Altie Yazzie … Native American scout

Runtime: 102 min.

Rainey Qualley as Abigail Ballard, protecting her children Charity (Georgia Coles) and Hope (Brookelyn Lindley) in This Bloody Country (2025)

Cameron Meyer as Martha Ballard, the oldest and most outspoken of Josiah Ballard’s three wives in This Bloody Country (2025)

Memorable lines:

Josiah Ballard: “I must apologize, Mr. Campbell, for the vittles. I’m afraid my Lillith isn’t much of a cook. Why the Good Lord saw fit to bless me with her, I know not. But I supposed he has a plan for each one of us.”

Ballard, when Campbell suggests taking Nathaniel hunting, though the young man is a novice with firearms: “If you’re itching for a headache, who am I to intervene?”

Ned Campbell, after gunning down two of three bandits who come calling on the Ballards: “You let one of them get away. You know what that means?”
Josiah Ballard: “He’s gone. He’s gone.”
Campbell: “Men like that. These men. They come back. With more.”

Zipprah Cardozo as Sarah Ballard, given the job of watching over the younger children if bandits attack in This Bloody Country (2025)

Martin Dingle Wall as Ned Campbell, trying to convince Josiah Ballard (Larry Cedar) that the bandits want more than his water and his food in This Bloody Country (2025)

Campbell to Ballard: “I need you to hear me. These men want what’s yours. And I’m not talking food and water.”

Josiah Ballard: “Let me get this straight. An old preacher who hasn’t fired a weapon in years, a soft kid who just fired one for the first time the other day, and you are going to fight off a half a dozen bandits?”
Ned Campbell: “I don’t see any other choice.”
Ballard: “Maybe you are a man of faith after all, Mr. Campbell.”

Nathaniel Ballard: “I’m not sure if I could do it.”
Ned Campbell: “Do what?”
Nathaniel: “Kill a man. The Bible says …”
Campbell: “The Bible says you should let a bunch of bandits shoot you and kill your family?”

Martin Dingle Wall as Ned Campbell, entertaining Nathaniel with a tale of a bloody poker game in This Bloody Country (2025)

Andrew Key as Prescott ‘Mitch’ Mitchell, leader of the outlaw gang that stumbles upon the Ballard party in This Bloody Country (2025)

Adam Hightower as Earl Mitchell, the bandit who survives a brush with Ned Campbell in This Bloody Country (2025)

Maggie Gwin as Lillith Ballard gets shooting lessons from Ned Campbell (Martin Dingle Wall) in This Bloody Country (2025)