IMDb RATING
6.8/10
4.3K
YOUR RATING
An outlaw band rides into a town that is actually Purgatory, between Heaven and Hell.An outlaw band rides into a town that is actually Purgatory, between Heaven and Hell.An outlaw band rides into a town that is actually Purgatory, between Heaven and Hell.
- Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
- 2 wins & 6 nominations total
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JD Souther
- Brooks
- (as John David Souther)
- …
Phil Hawn
- Inhabitant of Refuge
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAll of the Purgatory residents' assumed names are nature-based: Forest, Glen, Ivy, Rose, Woods, Lamb.
- GoofsDoc Holliday was indeed a dentist and not a physician. In the Old West, however, remote towns often had to use what they had for medical care. Physicians were scarce, so if a town did not have a doctor they would go to the dentist, veterinarian, or even barber for care. Also sometimes physicians would be called upon to care for sick animals if needed. It is therefore not that far of a reach that a dentist would serve as the town doctor.
Featured review
Not an Ordinary Western
This film starts out with a band of desperadoes led by "Blackjack Britton" (Eric Roberts) who decide to rob the bank in a town called "Sweetwater". What they don't anticipate is that while they are robbing the bank the U.S. Cavalry happens to also ride into town. A gunfight ensues and the bandits hightail it out of town as fast as they can with a large posse chasing after them. The further they ride the more desperate they become and eventually lose all of the money they had stolen. Then they encounter a dust storm and when they finally ride through it they come upon a town called "Refuge" which is well off the beaten path. At first they decide to keep a low profile but then they notice that nobody in the town is armed. Not content with simply accepting the town's hospitality they soon decide to force themselves upon it. But what they don't realize is that this is no ordinary town. And the townsfolk are not run-of-the-mill people either. Anyway, rather than disclosing the mystery of the movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this is not an ordinary western. The acting is decent and Amelia Heinie (as "Rose") certainly lent some nice scenery. But what made this film so unusual was the unique storyline which was quite intriguing. All things considered then, although the end was somewhat predictable the movie managed to keep my attention for the most part and I rate it as slightly better than average.
helpful•50
- Uriah43
- Oct 30, 2013
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- Purgatory West of the Pecos
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![Eric Roberts, Randy Quaid, Sam Shepard, Brad Rowe, and Donnie Wahlberg in Purgatory (1999)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTkyMjllMjQtOTljOS00MDJiLWE0NDktNmZmMWNmM2NmZjBiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTY5Nzc4MDY@._V1_QL75_UY133_CR5,0,90,133_.jpg)