Potter's Ground

POTTER'S GROUND looks like a horror flick from the cover but it turns out to be...well, I don't really know what it is or what it wants to be. It's a dark western about a group of cowboys looking for buried treasure, but they end up trapped and attacked by forces unknown. It's one of those very low budget productions that takes place mostly at night, which cuts down on budgetary costs. The dialogue has an ear for the era and the costumes are okay, but it's a pity that they're all wasted in a film where very little of note happens at all. That makes POTTER'S GROUND quite the yawner, and not one I'll be recommending...

Yes, it is not the best western movie I've seen and in a way it doesn't entirely match its description of a Western, Drama, Thriller.

It was certainly dramatic, 100% it had a thriller twist to it and was it's set as a western, but what you don't know is the real twist in the tail - at the end. It was actually almost the lowest point of the film for me.

I checked out the actors' bios and it appears that these people have hardly worked on set - at all. Which I find truly amazing as some of the work was simply excellent.

The clichés and regular quips were corny to the max, but so well delivered. Brilliant. Isaiah Stratton (lead), his cohort Scott Crain, Todd Bush and Katharine Franco all deserve bigger and better roles in the future.

If you are prepared to case aside any concerns and simply go with the flow with this film, I feel confident you will like it. I sure did.

Potter's Ground is one of the more interesting indies I've viewed lately and I think that its deserving of attention. The story is a simple one, which works for it as much as it works against it but it undoubtedly manages to deliver on the fun.

With a cast of mostly unknown actors and a crew of people you have never heard of, we should all appreciate that something was put out that is clearly punching above its weight class. The action works when it wants to, the jokes mostly land, and the movie flows at a mostly even pace that makes it fly by and never bores.

My only complaint would be the idea of the monsters in the world. They are alluded to on more that one occasion when referencing a supposedly terrifying location that they must travel to and you even get to catch a glimpse one or two times in the movie, but they are lacking everywhere else. This isn't necessarily a big problem, but it feels at times like Potter's Ground would like to be a monster movie but is scared to give in, ultimately building excitement for something that never comes. If not for this minor disappointment I would probably rate the movie 8.

Either way it isn't a bad find on Amazon and is worth the rental if you find yourself in search of easy entertainment.

It just is. There's almost just as much good to be had from this film as there is bad. The cinematography and writing are both on point, especially for a reportedly low budget movie like this. This seems like an impressive team of people and I would like to see what they do with a larger budget.

The problem comes from the acting. The seeming antagonist does a decent enough job throughout and so does the woman who tags along with the heroes, but everybody else is hit or miss. I know it can be difficult to find good actors on a budget so I don't want to hold it against them too much but it does bring the film down to a 5 from what could have easily been a 7 or 8.

The pacing goes in and out too but is mostly consistent in quality. I state again that this is an impressive low budget movie and I would like to see what they do with more.

Recommended, but cautiously.

Once upon a time there were very good cowboy movies. Exciting legendary movies where Indians and Cowboys fight. Today's cowboy movies are like Chinese made... These kinds of movies have no taste anymore. It's really a pity.