0
0
Classic Westerns tend to feature lawmen and outlaws facing off on the frontier. They’re generally long and maybe a little bit leisurely, and there’s usually a lesson to be learned in the end. But with Eminence Hill, writer/director Robert Conway adds some dark new twists to his take on the genre.
Eminence Hill journeys through the Arizona Territory with a band of outlaws and the lawman who’s tracking them. Royce Tullis (Clint James) and his crew are out for revenge, killing off the 12 jurors who sentenced Tullis’s brother to death. Quincy Hollis Foster (Owen Conway) is the ruthless US Marshall tasked with bringing them in—and he enlists former Cavalry Scout Carson Garret (Charlie Motley) to help him. But when Tullis and his crew take a wrong turn into the small, devout town of Eminence Hill, they find themselves facing a challenge that could be more dangerous than the law.
Of course, in the Wild West, the law is all relative. No one here is entirely without blame—and each has his or her own view of right and wrong. On the frontier, everyone lives in the gray area. And as the characters converge on the secluded town filled with fervent believers who are determined to maintain order, the tension builds—and so does the body count.
This isn’t just another long, lazy Western with the occasional bloodless shootout. Conway’s style is more violent and savage than you might expect—and he offers his own take on the classic Western stories and themes. From the brutal opening scene, it’s clear that the blood will flow—and it does in some surprising ways.
For today’s audiences, the promise of more action and violence can be a relief—since classic Westerns tend to move at a slower pace. Unfortunately, though, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The acting is often awkward, as is the writing. Some of the characters deliver stiff, formal dialogue, seemingly attempting to sound true to the period, while others use phrases like “pop a squat,” which don’t seem authentic in the 19th-century setting. Meanwhile, more than just living in the gray areas, few of the characters here offer any redeeming qualities, making it challenging to find someone to root for. And, in the end, it’s all so melodramatic that it’s generally laughable.
With its darker take on the Western genre, Eminence Hill is definitely an intriguing film. But the awkwardness of the production may have viewers riding off into the sunset, in search of something better.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
