I love this movie so much

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

I have never seen this movie before, just found it (2016) on the western channel and have since watched it at least 50 times. I am 36 years old and normally don't like Westerns but this one caught my attention and I could not turn it off! I have NEVER been a fan of Tim Daly, don't like him in any of his current roles and find him to be rather cheesy and too preppy - BUT in this movie his portrayal of Johnny Gault was Oscar worthy. He owned this role from beginning to end and was so sexy and oozing of masculine beauty and testosterone I wasn't sure my TV could take it, was very afraid my screen would get too hot and blow up. WOW! I never knew he could give this type of commanding performance. He was riveting. I simply couldn't take my eyes off of him. Why hasn't he been cast in more roles like this? The facial scruff and fantastic clothes helped too. This wonderful movie has so many things in it that apply to real life today. I just wish that there were more Johnny Gaults out in our modern world, we need them, ( and maybe today's men should take a few lessons!) The rest of the cast were also well chosen, Naomi Watts was equally good and the chemistry she and Daly had on screen absolutely rocked! The relationship that develops between Johnny and Benjo was also very special. Just excellent!!!!

One reviewer noted that it was obvious that this was written and directed by women. I thought the same thing. After all, it is a romance, first and a western second...distant second. The cinematography is brilliant, a bit dark at times, but considering how little electric light there was in the 19th century, it's appropriate. For the most part the acting is right on. The dialog, at times a bit forced, but is well written. But overall the film is predictable, the story line, as others have noted, is all too familiar. There's a scene where Johnny Gault tells Rebecca his life story. In a violation of the classic show, don't tell, rule. All of that would have been much more powerful had it been shown in flashback. Probably the worst part was the final shootout, yes, of course, you knew there had to be one. After Johnny had claimed to be good at killin', that he had "eyes in the back of his head", he doesn't see the old sneaking up behind 'em trick. But all in all, for a romance novel, it wasn't all bad.

I agree wholeheartedly with all the other positive reviews here. Watts and Daly have the chemistry; the movie is beautifully filmed, and the pace is excellent. What I'm thrown by is the references to the author; I see Penelope Williamson credited often. In my opinion, the only Penelope that should get a nod is Penelope Worth; she was the original name of the Quaker girl Gail Russell played in "Angel and the Badman", of which this is an unabashed remake. The story setup is the same: near-death gunslinger nursed back to health by the beautiful Quaker girl. Gunslinger has epiphany regarding peace and the "plain folk" and fights internally with the conflict till the end. Both play give-and-take. I think Penelope Williamson ought to thank James Edward Grant for being the REAL source material.

This movie travels such well-worn ground that -- despite the best efforts of the actors -- the stereotypes and plot clichés leave you wondering if the script writer or novelist should be sued for plagiarism. Jack Schaefer did this all (and better) in Shane.We have the same stand off between cattle rancher and homesteaderWe have the same relationship between the stranger/gunfighter and the homesteader's boy. We have the same journey into town and the boy witnessing a set piece between an aggressive cattle hand and the reluctant gunslinger.We have the same romantic interest between the homesteader's wife and the stranger (only this time the farmer is conveniently out of the picture so the tension built up in Shane is absent).The second stolen plot is from High Noon: We have the same good guy with the gun facing down the bad guys on his own with a pacifist wife objecting to the confrontation.We have the same good women who repents of her passive ways just in time to save her man -- having apparently just won the shoot out against superior numbers -- from a sneaky shot in the back.I could go on . . .the plot departures from these two great stories, rather than being a relief, are almost universally annoying. Most noteworthy are the miraculous recoveries from bullet wounds by the main characters so that love will prevail.