American Empire

An encounter with Frenchman Leo Carillo gives riverboat operators Richard Dix and Preston Foster the idea to start a ranch by buying property already inhabited by wild cattle, that had multiplied on the un-worked land during the Civil War. Things go well for awhile, until Carillo shows up to take what he believes is owed him, leading to misunderstandings with the neighbors that leave Foster acting more and more tyrannical.

I'll give the filmmakers credit for managing to squeeze an epic tale into eighty-one minutes and nine seconds, on a low budget, but the ambitious, episodic script is just too loose for it's own good. The producers should have spent some extra money to develop it more.

Still, it's an entertaining enough time-filler, thanks to the colorful performance by Carillo, better known for his role on TV's "The Cisco Kid" and a spectacular, action-filled final act.

Foster's pretty good at playing bitter SOB's and Dix is a likable actor, as is Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, who plays an ex-whaler/cowboy. They're worth watching too.