It must be said up front: This film is beautifully shot by cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. It’s notorious because this was the project where she was fatally shot with Alec Baldwin holding the gun. After that horrible setback, the film was re-visited with a new DP (Bianca Cline) and completed, especially at the request of Hutchins’ mother. The plot involves a boy (Parick Scott McDermott) who accidentally shoots a man and is condemned to hang. In rides a man who rescues him (Baldwin) and takes him on a trek to safety. This is a dusty road picture set in the 1880s with several different people in pursuit of the duo. Hutchins’ works is truly exceptional with gorgeous landscapes, naturally dark interiors and lovely closeups. Writer/director Joel Souza has penned a script with enjoyably period-appropriate language and sometimes compelling direction. The narrative does ramble and many scenes could have been cut to tighten the effect. Baldwin turns creates a crusty old gunslinger, while McDermott does a commendable job. To fully appreciate the beauty and darkness of the film, it should be seen on the big screen. Otherwise, it’s a rather unoriginal Western with Hutchins’ work as the highlight.
The irony is that so many guns are used throughout the film and the scene or location where the accident occurred was not in the final film.
NOTE: Stay thru the credits for a coda from the director about the importance of releasing the film in Hutchins’ honor. Click here for my review of the documentary about the fatal incident, which provides interesting insight. 
(3 / 5)
