Arguably, the original 1947 film was the first “revisionist” Western, even though
it starred John Wayne. James Edward Grant’s classic suggested violence was not
always the way. However, the better path it offered was that of the Bible. It
never got too preachy and neither does this new remake (the second). Regardless,
you had better keep God or your guns close, preferably both, in Julio Quintana’s
Angel and the Badman, from Angel Studios, which opens tomorrow in
theaters.
Quirt
Evans is a bad man, but he is far from the worst of the worst. He was almost a
dead man, but Marshal McClintock saves him, hoping he will lead him to his
former associates in the Laredo gang and their stolen Confederate gold
(considering how many CSA gold shipments went missing, it is no wonder the
South lost the war). Unfortunately, McClintock never bothers to treat Evans’
gunshot wound (courtesy of Laredo and his men), so he would have died anyway,
had his horse not wandered to the Worth ranch.
The
Worths are hardy, hard-working, God-fearing stock, but their menfolk tend to
die young, so widowed Irene Worth really wants to marry off her grown daughter
Penny to a nice, stable, and boring boy. Penny Worth is not so enthusiastic
about the idea and her sassy Grandma Harriet is vocally opposed. She is a handful,
that one. Then, Penny suddenly finds herself nursing the delirious Evan back to
health, because that is the Christian thing to do.
Evans
is grateful. He is also mindful his presence could bring trouble to the Worth
family. However, he finds himself getting emotionally attached to the family,
despite what he considers their hopeless naivete. In fact, he even “convinces”
wealthy land-owner Frederick Carson to undam the river, so it flows through the
down-stream irrigation channels. Carson even thanks Evans for it, once he meets
the Worths. Nevertheless, the Laredo gang is still out there, looking for Evans
and the gold.
Quintana’s
Angel and the Badman might be the best Christian-themed film of the
decade. The Worths’ faith plays a critical role in the film, in terms of both
character development, character motivation, and key plot points. Yet, the film
never feels preachy or stilted. Perhaps the faith content might not even
register for some viewers looking for a good Western, which is quite a neat
trick.
It is
also nice to see Tommy Lee Jones return to peak form, as McClintock. Angel
and the Badman won’t be remembered as his best film, but it showcases
vintage Jones. Seriously, we know he can play a U.S. Marshal and McClintock is exactly
the kind of sly old dog he was born to portray.
It turns out Roswell isn't the craziest town in New Mexico. In this film,
the fictional dirt village of Wander is way more sinister. Nobody would want to
go there, but apparently those there have a hard time leaving. Arthur Bretnik, a
barely licensed PI and trafficker of conspiracy theories will go there hoping
to find answers in April Mullen’s Wander, which releases today on VOD.
Bretnik
was once a cop, but he lost his job and his family when he wouldn’t back off
investigating an irregular murder, even after the body mysteriously disappeared.
Obviously, Bretnik still suffers from emotional and neurological damage caused
by the convenient accident that finally sidelined him, but he fared better than
his late wife and their now brain-damaged daughter. These days, Bretnik co-hosts
an Art Bell-ish podcast with his conspiracy theory-mongering crony, Jimmy
Cleats and mostly chases down low-rent insurance cheats for money.
Cleats
brings him a client who might be a little too perfect. Her daughter died at
Wander’s city-limits, under suspicious circumstances she would like Bretnik to
investigate. She can also pay pretty good money for his services, even though
she is in the country illegally. Of course, Bretnik is totally hooked when he discovers
the body had a mysterious non-bullet hole, much like his victim back in the
day. He is the last to believe it was a coincidence his client came to him, but
he also believes he finally has a chance to uncover the “truth.”
It
is hard to figure who this film was really intended for. The shadowy extra-governmental
conspiracy Bretnik chases is the sort of yarn that could appeal to the wacky
QAnon crowd (seriously, does anyone think Trump could keep his mouth shut about
it if he were really fighting some global child abusing cabal?), but the victims
are largely illegals, whom the film bends over backward to express sympathy for.
Okay,
so whatever. The surprising part is Wander functions pretty well as a
thriller (notwithstanding the terrible title). In many ways, it is like a redo
of Richard Donner’s Conspiracy Theory, with Aaron Eckhart taking on the
Mel Gibson role and Heather Graham serving as the Julia Roberts analog (in this
case, Graham represents an upgrade).
