Synopsis:
From the producer of Bone Tomahawk. A desperately needed wagon full of medical supplies falls victim to an Apache attack. The only man who can guide it through to its destination is Merrick Beckford, but in order to get there he’ll need to enlist the help of a trio of dangerous outlaws hell-bent on survival. When they accidentally kill an Apache scout, all bets are off and survival is the name of the game in director Travis Mills’s western thriller.
Frontier Crucible has a runtime of approximately 124 minutes and is rated R for strong/bloody violence and grisly images.
What We Thought:
I grew up on Westerns because I watched them with my parents. Because of that there are certain expectations I have for films of the genre. Frontier Crucible checkmarks a lot of Westerns boxes, but it doesn’t quite get to where it needs to go. It’s good for a watch and I’d probably revisit it at some point, but I can also see myself completely forgetting it exists later on.
It has a typical plot for the genre and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It has a cold open with a man being killed by gunmen and then we see some soldier types. One man is tasked in getting medicine to a sick town by himself because they think that’s the best way through. On his trip he runs into a small group of people with a wounded man. They had been hit by Apaches and he’s willing to help as long as they go his way. They want to go north, he’s going south and soon there will be a fight for his wagon. As the group butts heads with the man on a mission they need to dodge Apaches and figure out if he’s able to be taken down, bought off or if the man with morals wins out.
I think the biggest issue is the leading man isn’t as good as those around him. William H. Macy has a small role as the leader who sends him on the mission. Two of the men he runs into are played by the much more known Thomas Jane and Armie Hammer. Now I thought Hammer’s career got cancelled so I was surprised to see him in this film. I don’t think I’m familiar with Myles Clohessy who plays the lead character Merrick Beckford, but he’s not quite the caliber of his much more famous co-stars. Hammer may be shunned, but the man can still act and I’ve always liked Tom Jane. They handle their roles effortlessly. There’s a woman in the group as well and she’s played by Mary Stickley making her film debut. She’s gorgeous and it’s easy to understand why men are fighting over her.
The lead might not be great, but the film does look like it’s supposed to. Westerns use long shots and wide views to get across the scope and size of the area. It does that well. The second act drags a bit as you wait to see what the outcome of the third act will be. It could use a trim to focus the film. Allegedly in an interview, Jane said the script was actually written by an uncredited S. Craig Zahler of Bone Tomahawk fame which makes sense with the dark scenes and intense violence. It’s not quite up to Bone Tomahawk territory, but most movies aren’t.
If you’re looking for a Western you haven’t seen before Frontier Crucible will fill the void. It won’t wow too many fans of the genre, but I didn’t struggle to sit through it or anything like that despite the drag in the second act. Keep your expectations low and you should enjoy it for at least one watch.
The Nerds Templar 