During
frontier days, they never wrote songs about women who stayed home and darned
socks. Of course, women were the subject of plenty of songs, but they were
usually falling in love and/or seeking revenge. Josephine Cassidy is one of
them. She intends to shoot down the man who killed her beloved Jakob like the
rabid dog that he is. Rather awkwardly, that villain happens to be Jakob’s
brother and the corrupt sheriff of their ailing territorial town of Ruby in
Matt Knudsen’s Cassidy Red (trailer here), which screens
during this year’s Dances with Films.
The
piano player’s name is Cricket, just like Hoagy Carmichael in To Have and Have Not. He will be
regaling Quinn, a much-abused working lady, as well as the audience with the bloody
ballad of Josephine Cassidy. She was the product of the weekly unions shared by
her brothel-bound mother and Cort Cassidey, a hard-drinking but still very
lethal hired gun. Since she grew up on old man Cort’s ranch, Ms. Cassidy
learned to handle firearms at an early age. In fact, her steady aim would save her
future lover, Jakob Yazzie from the sadistic neighbor boy Tom Hayes.
Much
to the peevish Hayes’s surprise, his guilt-ridden father decides to adopt the
hungry Yazzie. In an even more perverse twist of fate, the restless Cassidy
later agrees to marry the grown Tom, on the condition they will move somewhere
with greater opportunities in life. Yet, as soon as Cassidy is thrown together
with Jakob, the old sparks fly. Much to everyone’s embarrassment, Hayes arrives
home in time to witness her unfaithfulness—and immediately starts planning his
grand revenge. Of course, revenge will lead to more revenge. However, to get
the job done right, she will need some special tutoring from her dear father.
In
fact, the complicated relationship between the Cassidy father and daughter is
one of the best aspects of Red. Rick
Cramer is just terrific as the world weary but still cocky Cort. He sort of has
the look and demeanor of a vintage William Sadler, which is definitely a good
thing. Abby Eiland is also all kinds of fierce as the titular Cassidy. David
Thomas Jenkins is maybe somewhat more reserved as Hayes than genre fans would
prefer, but we still buy into the acrid villainy in his heart. Jason Grasl is
basically disposable as Yazzie, but Gregory Zaragoza adds the right jaded
seasoning as Cricket.