The film takes place in 1881 when settlers were gold seekers working their way up to Montana. In the small town of Yellowstone City, they have come on hard times with very little of the precious metal being discovered since the glory days. After many years of prospecting we find Emma Dunnigan (Scottie Thompson) washing dishes in the creek as Robert Dunnigan (Zach McGowan) rides up. He pulls out a couple sacks and tells her he has struck gold.
Excited about his find Robert rides to town then shooting his gun in the air and calling everyone out of Sunday Church to tell them he struck gold. A wave of excitement begins and the saloon fills up with all the townspeople. That night as Robert goes home to Emma, he gets bushwhacked. It’s the beginning of a mystery that is left in the hands of Sherriff Ambrose (Gabriel Byrne), his son Jimmy (Nat Wolff) and Parson Thaddeus Murphy (Thomas Jane).
The two hour film moves along at a fair pace bringing in more characters and charging a drifter, Cicero (Isaiah Mustafa) with the crime. But, Director Richard Gray has a lot in store for you as he plays out a rip snorting western with a lot of twists and several possibilities that start pointing to other townspeople that may be involved. While it’s not a true “whodunit” movie, the movie still entertains. However, that said the film’s length is a bit too long and the chase scenes are a lot to be desired.
It was nice seeing Gabriel Byrne still up on the big screen. It looks like his at least one film or TV appearance a year since starting in 1978 is probably a record for the industry. Here he’s a tough Sherriff who wants to keep his town running without incident. However, when the corpses keep turning up, it’s not likely he’s going to get law and order any time soon Yellowstone.
Thomas Jane noted for his vigilante role as The Punisher, does a good job as the preacher in this cowboy ditty. His character puts him in the middle of defending the suspect taking Thaddeus from mild mannered to rough and tumble. Anna Camp who plays his wife in the film gives the film a boost when it starts to lag midway through. She’s a bit of a snoop and wants to make sure Cicero is the real culprit.
Bonus Features:
“Audio Commentary”
“The Making of Murder at Yellowstone City”
“Deleted Scenes”
Murder At Yellowstone City has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains extreme violence, sex/nudity, language, and disturbing images. The western gets too exaggerated shootout wise and the wild camera scene changes are a bit overused. Even with several deleted scenes thrown in the “Bonus Extras” the film is too long and became chaotic. I know that distance between places in this genre gets taken for granted, especially since the action takes place in town then in the mountains and back again with the characters seemly unaffected by horseback jaunts and time of day. Even for diehard western fans my rating is only 2 out of 5.
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Gabriel Byrne, Thomas Jane, Isaiah Mustafa, Anna Camp, Aimee Garcia, Emma Kennedy, Sach McGowan, Nat Wolff, Richard Dreyfuss
Directed by: Richard Gray
Genre: Western
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, language, sex/nudity, violence
Running Time: 2 hrs. 6 min.
Video Release Date: August 23, 2022
Language: English
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Audio: DTS HD Master Audio
Video: Aspect Ratio 2.39:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Distributed by: RJL Films
Released on: Blu-ray, DVD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
