This low budget film is difficult to define. The video box calls it an action western, but there is little action and the western setting is only apparent in the costumes and setting. The content of the film is more akin to a morality play, with a small group of characters falling foul of greed and corruption. It's also obviously the brainchild of the director, Michael Bohusz, who even appears as the vengeful Indian spirit in the film which kills off the evil and corrupted characters.
While the small budget excludes the use of any big name stars, the acting, while of an average standard, is all sufficient, and some actors enjoy themselves in over the top roles, especially the main bearded villain bloke. At least there is a varied bunch of people to identify with, and to actually perhaps feel sympathy for, as characterisation is strong in this film, which is no bad thing at all. It's rare for a horror film to make you feel for the characters before they start to die, but scenes where a man, rejected by the woman he loves, toils in the mine digging at a barren wall and mumbling to himself, are really quite sad.
Also, the Californian locations are also put to good use, especially the beautiful forest regions, and there's even an EVIL DEAD-style cabin in the woods. For the horror crowd there are decaying corpses, severed arms, hangings, and weird dream sequences, where the cheapness of the film is apparent as red-tinted studio-bound locations are made to stand in for Hell. There's also some action, shooting and fight scenes to keep things moving along, and the film rarely becomes boring. While it's not a particularly good film by any means, the central concept is fresh and interesting in a world of serial killers on the loose, and I'm the first to commend a film for managing to try something different. Worth a look if you're tired of the run of the mill garbage filling up the video shelves of your local Blockbuster.
While the small budget excludes the use of any big name stars, the acting, while of an average standard, is all sufficient, and some actors enjoy themselves in over the top roles, especially the main bearded villain bloke. At least there is a varied bunch of people to identify with, and to actually perhaps feel sympathy for, as characterisation is strong in this film, which is no bad thing at all. It's rare for a horror film to make you feel for the characters before they start to die, but scenes where a man, rejected by the woman he loves, toils in the mine digging at a barren wall and mumbling to himself, are really quite sad.
Also, the Californian locations are also put to good use, especially the beautiful forest regions, and there's even an EVIL DEAD-style cabin in the woods. For the horror crowd there are decaying corpses, severed arms, hangings, and weird dream sequences, where the cheapness of the film is apparent as red-tinted studio-bound locations are made to stand in for Hell. There's also some action, shooting and fight scenes to keep things moving along, and the film rarely becomes boring. While it's not a particularly good film by any means, the central concept is fresh and interesting in a world of serial killers on the loose, and I'm the first to commend a film for managing to try something different. Worth a look if you're tired of the run of the mill garbage filling up the video shelves of your local Blockbuster.