I was expecting more from this one, which unaccountably has acquired the reputation of a modern classic. Russell is good, Kilmer steals the show, and Delany is miscast in a role that required a more fiery, vivacious persona; her scenes with Russell generate zero heat, and their romance, such as it is, goes nowhere.
The earlier parts of the film have their moments (notably the Bird Cage scene, which probably captures the reality of Wild West entertainments pretty well), but in the third act everything unravels in confused montages of Peckinpahesque ultraviolence. Apparently the film was conceived as a much lengthier epic before being whittled down to its present dimensions; in the process, the story was condensed, rushed, and jumbled.
For a true modern classic in the Western genre, see Unforgiven.
The earlier parts of the film have their moments (notably the Bird Cage scene, which probably captures the reality of Wild West entertainments pretty well), but in the third act everything unravels in confused montages of Peckinpahesque ultraviolence. Apparently the film was conceived as a much lengthier epic before being whittled down to its present dimensions; in the process, the story was condensed, rushed, and jumbled.
For a true modern classic in the Western genre, see Unforgiven.