Vengeance Trail (2006)

Stephanie Northrup is Annie McBride, a woman fleeing an abusive husband with her young daughter Sarah when their stagecoach is attacked.

By the time the attack ends, Sarah is dead, Annie is lying wounded and the rest of the stagecoach passengers have been killed.

Annie is rescued by Jim Dawson (Robert Kotecki), recently freed from prison on a trumped up charge.

He takes Annie to the home he shares with his grandfather to recuperate.

He doesn’t know about the abusive husband, who has put a price on Annie’s head and hired a former outlaw named Garvey to track her down.

Nor does he know that the man orchestrating the stagecoach attack was none other than Emery, sheriff in the nearby town of Vengeance.

But Emery knows about Annie. And her survival is a loose end he can’t afford. He needs to make sure she never talks about the stagecoach attack at Jack Rabbit Pass.

Robert Kotecki as Jim Dawson, agreeing to help Annie find Sarah’s killers in Vengeance Trail (2006)

Stephanie Northrup as Annie McBride, looking to escape an abusive older husband in Vengeance Trail (2006)

Review:

This is a low-budget Western with an interesting backstory. It that started as a student film in 2002, became a direct-to-video movie in 2006 and was recently revived with the help of AI.

And kudos to the filmmakers for including two large-scale action scenes — the opening attack on the stage and the final gunfight — that are much better than the action scenes you’ll find in most low-budget Westerns these days.

The film is also more violent than most. When these characters shoot, they shoot to kill. And often follow up with more bullets to make sure they’ve killed.

Unfortunately, even AI couldn’t clean up lackluster cinematography, audio inconsistency and uneven acting among the cast members.

But at least this isn’t one of those low-budget Westerns you’ll watch, then scold yourself for wasting an hour and a half of your life.

Jeff Dolan as Emery, a crooked sheriff trying to cover up a stage holdup in Vengeance Trail (2006)

Peter Sherayko as the doctor who sides with Jim Dawson and his grandpa in Vengeance Trail (2006)

Directed by:
Stephen McCurry and Josh Seat

Cast:
Robert Kotecki … Jim Dawson
Stephanie Northrup … Annie McBride
Jeff Dolan … Emery, the sheriff
P.W. Willis … Elijah Dawson
Jennifer Cederholm … Bess
Mark Vafiades … Slick, deputy
Mark Craig … Claud Gilkey
Jeff Kilburn … Percy
Tiare Empey … Sarah
Al Frisch … Mr. Robbins
Mark Irving … Levi Gilkey
Garrett W. Roberts … Jack, bartender
Keven Russell … Garvey
Peter Sherayko … Doc
Phil Spangenberger … Cole
Carl Walper … McBride

Runtime: 85 min.

Jennifer Cederholm as Bess, the long-suffering girlfriend who helps Jim Dawson nurse Annie back to health in Vengeance Trail (2006)

P.W. Willis as Elijah Dawson, the feisty grandpa Jim Dawson lives with in Vengeance Trail (2006)

Memorable lines:

Emery to his gang members: “Cross me, and I’ll send ya straight to hell.”

Jim Dawson, on why he fetched the Doc before telling the sheriff about the stage holdup: “I figured the girl could use your help more than the law could help the dead.”

Grandpa Dawson to Garvey, whose posing as a reverend: “You don’t look like no Bible-thumper I’ve ever seen. Fact is, you got the smell of somethin’ else.”

Jim Dawson: “Die, you crooked son of a bitch.”

Keven Russell as Garvey, the killer McBride hires to find his runaway wife in Vengeance Trail (2006)

Garrett W. Roberts as Jack, a bartender in cahoots with Emery in Vengeance Trail (2006)

Carl Walper as McBride, the aging rancher eager to get Annie back under his thumb in Vengeance Trail (2006)

Stephanie Northrup as Annie McBride, bound for a new life with daughter Sarah (Tiare Empey) before bandits attack in Vengeance Trail (2006)