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According to your favorite Westerns, the American frontier was inhabited by men, women, and children of grit—who knew how to work the land, doctor any illness or injury, and shoot a gun. But Old Henry tells the story of a frontier farmer who isn’t keen on fighting back.
Old Henry travels to the Oklahoma Territory in 1906, where widowed farmer Henry (Tim Blake Nelson) lives with his teenage son, Wyatt (Gavin Lewis). Henry struggles to raise his headstrong son, who wants nothing to do with the simple life of a farmer. Wyatt wants action and adventure—which is exactly what he gets when Henry rescues an injured man (Scott Haze), who’s found with a pistol and a big bag full of money. And when three men show up looking for him, Henry has to decide which of the men he should believe.
Though the characters all come together in this remote frontier setting, Old Henry isn’t exactly the typical Western. While classic Westerns tend to be quite long, slowly building a story about Old West law and order into an explosive, gun-slinging showdown, this one is shorter, with tension that begins building almost from the start. Even before this mysterious man shows up outside Henry’s farm, it’s clear that there’s trouble brewing for this mild-mannered farmer—a character who seems so far from the usual Western hero.
Wyatt sees his dad as timid and weak—a man who’s content simply to work the land. He won’t even pick up a rifle to go out hunting with his brother-in-law, Al (Trace Adkins). But Nelson’s Henry is such a loving father—a single dad who’s just trying to do the best he can to steer his son in the right direction. He’s tough but caring—someone most parents will understand. But when he comes home to find his son in danger, a very different side of him comes out, suggesting that he may not be just a mild-mannered farmer after all.
The storytelling here blends action and drama, throwing in plenty of twists and surprises to keep audiences captivated. There’s nothing slow or drawn-out here—just a fascinating tale of fathers and sons, of law and disorder, out on the frontier.
With its strong performances, an unexpected story, and plenty of Wild West gunslinger action, Old Henry is a gripping Western thriller. It’s well worth a couple of hours spent out on the frontier.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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