Pretty Good

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This is a movie that needs to be watched more than once to understand where it is coming from. On the surface it is about former Gunslingers '" Wild" Bill Hickok, 'Billy The Kid', Jessie James, and 'Doc' Holliday living in a town called Refuge (which is really Purgatory) which lies between Heaven and Hell, waiting until the time The Lord calls them home ( to Heaven)., but in between then they must live on the straight and narrow, otherwise it is Hell. Against them is an outlaw led by 'Black Jack' Britton ( a particularly nasty Eric Roberts). But deeper than that it is about Sonny who falls in with the gang, but is no killer, and is the one who must make choices in life, which is to do what is right, or follow Britton straight to Hell ( which Britton admitted he was leading his men to). Spoilers Ahead: We first meet Sonny when the aging is robbing a Bank in Sweetwater, Oklahoma and he meets Dolly who is a card cheating woman, who asks him to "Don't let me die.", as she gets shot and dies in his arms. The gang ends up in a town called Refuge and Sonny meets Rose, and falls in love with her. He is very suspicious because there are no guns, or jails in the town, and because he could read ( he reads Dime Store Hovels)), and he believes he recognizes Hickok and James. Towards the end, he sees a stagecoach ride up to a Church ( where everyone must go at night), and out pops Dolly. He learns the truth about Refuge, including the fact that Rose is really Betty McCullough who was hanged for murdering her father who raped for for 7 years. He also learns that Britton and the the gang will burn the town down so he stands up to face them alone, to prevent Rose from going to Hell. "Wild Bill" who has 5 hours until he goes to Heaven realizes that Sonny is right. "He is willing to die to save the woman he loves. I have spent 10 years as Sheriff like I did my entire life." He and then the others then join him, and defeat the gang. However, Sonny ends up dying saving Rose from his evil uncle. At the very end, and Indian comes by puts Britton and the others on a horse and sends their souls to Hell. Hickok and the others will have to join him, but the stagecoach comes by and the Driver says " The Creator May Be Hard But He Isn't Blind", and they can go to Heaven. Sonny decides to stay behind with Rose, and take over Hickok's job as Sheriff. The driver said to Johnny " Your place will be ready when you want it." I saw a smile on Dolly's face, (because she knew indeed that Sonny saved her). Sonny basically had a very difficult task. Not only saving Dolly, but the town, and he will be rewarded with his place in Heaven with Rose.

They don't make westerns like this one anymore, in fact I don't think they ever made one just like this one. Imagine a town where the sheriff wears no gun, there's a saloon where no one drinks, and everyone goes to church every time the bell rings day or night. There is always smoke and fog behind the cemetery gate, and an old Indian warrior stands guard there. But this town is not what it seems, as the citizens turn out to be Wild Bill Hickcock, Jessie James, Doc Holiday and Billy the Kid to name a few. The problem is they are all dead or are they?Then an outlaw gang, fresh from a bank robbery ride into this peaceful town, trying to wake it up and help themselves, puzzled about the meekness of the citizens. A young fellow with the gang is the only one to figure out what is happening as he realizes just who most of these people really are. Sam Shepard, Eric Roberts and Randy Quaid give especially strong performances, as does R. G. Armstrong as the stage coach driver who comes to take the citizens of Purgatory home after the stop here. They don't make cowboy movies like this anymore, but they should.

Sam Elliot or Sam Shepard?Sam Elliott .... Sheriff Forrest/Wild Bill Hickock Eric Roberts .... Blackjack Britton Randy Quaid .... Doc Woods/Doc Holliday Peter Stormare .... Cavin Guthrie Brad Rowe .... Leo 'Sonny' Dillard Donnie Wahlberg .... Deputy Glen/Billy The Kid J.D. Souther .... Brooks/Jesse James (as John David Souther) Amelia Heinle .... Rose/Betty McCullough Shannon Kenny .... Dolly Sloan/Ivy John Dennis Johnston .... Lamb/'Lefty' Slade Saginaw Grant .... Gatekeeper Richard Edson .... Euripides Gregory Scott Cummins .... Knox John Diehl .... Badger R.G. Armstrong .... Coachman

I love a good western, and this would have to be one of the best I have ever seen. What a beautiful storyline, what a great place Refuge was. I hope that it truly is like that when we pass away. I don't know what those people did (good) that let them go to refuge, rather than straight to Hell, because all of the Blackjack gang (about 30) went straight to Hell, rather than purgatory. I don't know why Jesse James, Wild Bill and Doc didn't go straight to Hell for their sins, but where given a second chance, unlike the Blackjack gang. I actually got this movie without reading the back cover, so I didn't know what to expect. I was so surprised with this movie. I will watch it many times