One of the more exciting westerns in a few years, Gunslingers features a wild and wooly standoff that sizzles. This film may be the one that reinvents the old west genre enough to make it fun again. Writer and director Brian Skiba pulls this story out of his bag of tricks depicting a rundown lawless town at the crossroads of 1890’s America and serves it up on a blood riddled platter. See the film in a theater that has a wide screen with excellent sound for best effect.
Thomas Keller (Stephen Dorff), a killer with a huge bounty on his head, rides into the town of Redemption. Not there to change his killing ways, it’s not the safest place to be unless the outlaws that run it are on an even plane. His bounty of $100,000 however, makes him a target for most everyone including those that would like the fame of taking him down. With the odds against him, being the best shooter in America may not be enough to survive.
The costumes, sets and characters are an integral part of the movie and Skiba does a great job for western fans. His cast fits enough to make it rousing, especially Stephen Dorff, Cooper Barnes and Nicholas Cage (who plays a fool, who’s also as wicked a gunslinger as those he has to face). Skiba sets the scenes with key distractions like Heather Graham as Keller’s wife searching for him with their kid in tow. Using some nice twists and unexpected jump scares, most fans of the genre will come away above average entertained.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Stephen Dorff, Heather Graham, Bre Blair, Scarlet Rose Stallone, Cooper Barnes
Directed and written by: Brian Skiba
Genre: Action, Drama, Western
MPAA Rating: Rated R for bloody violence and some language
Running Time: 1 hr. 44 min.
Opening Date: April 11, 2025
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films
Released in: Theaters
