A western hero can fearlessly out-drink and out-shoot everyone without ever getting drunk or missing. In the rare cases when he does get drunk or - God forbid - may even become A drunk, he still never misses, sobers up with no relapses - usually helped along by a beautiful saloon-lady with a colourful past and a golden heart, meant to be mainly a decorative accolade to the story - and gets to shoot all bad guys single-handedly in the final show-down, that traditionally happens either at dawn or - naturally - at high noon.
Well, not this time.
We have the saloon-lady and she's beautiful, 'golden-hearted' and provided with a colourful past all right, but she's not alone: there are a fierce bible-quoting dragon of a woman, a sobbing, hysterical, agoraphobic, but sweet and naive cry-baby as well as an awesome, mad, ferocious pianist turned farmer's wife turned man-killer joining her for a long ride meant to take all of them out of the prairie, that drove them nuts, and back to civilisation. They are being accompanied by the former sheriff of the town they want to leave behind, a guy who, attempting to stop some bank-robbers, accidentally shot his wife instead, drowning ever since in self-pity, guilt and whiskey. Forced to accept the assignment of getting the ladies back home, he embarks on the journey of his life, gets nearly driven out of his mind by the company he has to keep, sobers up (when his bottles get smashed), discovers his... more feminine side, gets shot, heals, makes friends out of harpies and finds hope, a new purpose in life and true love, despite of staying to the bitter end respectful of dangers, reluctant to risk any other life but his and finally getting by without having to kill anyone.
All of this in less than 90 minutes, which makes the entire thing seem a bit rushed, despite the noticeable attempt of the film to take its time. Unfortunately it doesn't have any, an impression stressed by a rather random editing and a not always very confident directing.
The story and the acting though more than make up for this. Kevin Sorbo oscillating between exasperation and gentleness is definitely worth seeing, his whiskey-drenched, yet dry-humoured Mr Biggs an endearing and welcome addition to the traditional fallen, but somehow miraculously scrambling-back-to-their-feet heroes of the Old West (although I did miss occasionally his usual, contagious playfulness). And equally worth seeing are Lance Henriksen's remarkably relaxed and somehow charming villain, Jillian Armenante's gruff, dangerous and ultimately deeply touching shrew, as well as Dominique Swain's quite fascinating Abigail. The rest of the cast is solid, but remains a little pale.
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