A Major Disappointment

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Oh so familiar western plot in this made for TV western but it's competently done most of the way.Starts off well, but then gets bogged down in standard procedures.Builds up to a shoot out finale, that suddenly becomes muddled when bad land grabber C Thomas Howell suddenly has a conscience attack.Luke Perry has done quite a few westerns and a few good films, this isn't one of them, it's too uneven but it's not too bad.

This movie was made by RHI Entertainment, a company best known for making cheap and boring movies. Like their other movies, "A Gunfighter's Pledge" was made for commercial television, so you won't get any nudity, sex, foul language, or serious violence. Despite these limitations, I will admit that this is the best effort to date I've seen from RHI. The cinematography is pretty good, and while it may be low budget, it never looks really cheap - there are plenty of props and extras in the background.But despite all that, and my love for westerns, I didn't find this movie to be especially exceptional. It's mainly because of the script - I don't think there's any scene in this movie that you haven't seen in another western before. There is no effort by the screenwriter to put in a few twists, and it's not directed in a way to pump in some juice. Heck, even some of the locations will be very familiar to those who have watched a lot of TV and movies! So we end up with a tired and familiar movie that will make you think you've seen this movie before.

When his family is killed by escaped convict Kim Coates, ex-lawman Luke Perry tracks him to a lawless town where he mortally wounds a Spanish landowner who was attempting to enlist the help of the outlaw to prevent land baron C. Thomas Howell from taking his ranch. He promises the dying man that he'll protect his family. Meanwhile, Howell taps Coates to go up against Perry.Luke Perry is quite watchable as a western hero and C. Thomas Howell a lot of fun as the sophisticated, refined villain. He looks like a cross between Lee Van Cleef and Blazing Saddles' Hedley Lamar. Coates is an excellent character actor and is always entertaining, especially when he's playing nasty low-lives. Here, he doesn't have as much to do as I'd have liked.This looks as if it were filmed at one of those western themed tourist traps. However, a good script makes up for lack of detail and the costumed look of the wardrobe.The climax is good but Howell's abrupt change in attitude is quite baffling.

In playing Matt Austin in A Gunfighter's Pledge Luke Perry channeled both Alan Ladd as Shane and John Wayne as Cole Thornton in El Dorado as he plays a former sheriff who's both on a mission to get the guys who killed his family and paying a debt to a family whose provider he accidentally killed.Luke's long outgrown the sideburns he made famous as Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills 90210, in fact he's now got a three days growth of beard on him. Like Wayne in El Dorado where he kills the youngest son of a family being threatened by a cattle baron and whom he becomes the protector of, Perry in killing one of the two men kills the brother of a widow whose ranch rich landowner C. Thomas Howell wants because it's the source of water for the valley.Howell himself has outgrown his brat pack days and makes a fine villain. Francesco Quinn, son of Anthony Quinn is a nasty crooked sheriff doing Howell's bidding. Also note Jaclyn DeSantis as the widowed sister of the man Perry kills and who he becomes the protector of.One really glaring error in the film. I believe the original intent was to have a sadder ending, but a happier one was shot and tacked on at the last minute. I won't explain any further, but if you see the film, you'll know exactly what I mean.A Gunfighter's Pledge is a good western, the kind we sadly don't see on the big screen any more.