Miracle at Sage Creek
Movie Review for the Cowboy Chronicle, International monthly publication for SASS (Single Action Shooting Society)
By Steve Shaw
Rarely are Westerns made for television these days. The few exceptions attempt to recast the Western in a bitter, physically violent role, oftentimes with offensive language. Westerns the entire family can enjoy are difficult to find
they just don't make 'em anymore. Miracle at Sage Creek is a rare, welcomed change. This well-developed story, with fine acting, has you speculating about the miracle, since several materialize; a splendid and appropriate family-oriented film for the Christmas holidays. The story is set in 1888 Wyoming with David Carradine portraying rancher Ike Franklin, a hard-nosed, ruthless old man, embittered with the death of his wife at the hands of a Sioux war party ten years earlier. Just before Christmas, Ike hatches a scheme to legally remove neighbor Chief Red Eagle (superbly underplayed by Wes Studi) and his family off their small adjacent homestead with the use of US Cavalry. Red Eagle's son-in-law, John Stockton, a one time suitor of Ike's daughter Mary, perhaps the only man that could reason with Ike, is ambushed, shot and left for dead by villainous road agents while on his way home from town. Ike's daughter Mary and her husband, Seth, operate the Sage Creek Station, a stagecoach stop on the road between Lush and Chadron. Ike disapproves how the two are raising their two young sons, and of course, feels Seth not good enough for his daughter. When their youngest son, Kit, becomes infected with scarlet fever and is not expected to recover, Ike's despondency intensifies. How these two families overcome their prejudices and the tragedies befalling them is capably told. This film will elicit a tear of two, as should any well-told Christmas story. David Carradine is at his best, supported by, arguably one of the best actors to portray an Indian, Wes Studi. Familiar names and faces sustaining these two veterans are Buck Taylor, Tracy Nelson, Michael Parks, Irene Beddard, and Tim Abell. The film, shot at Old Tucson Studios' Mescal movie site in Arizona, is directed by James Intveld, by a script written by Thadd Turner. Turner should be familiar to many of you. His well-researched, non-fiction book "Wild Bill Hickok: Deadwood City End of Trail" was reviewed and recommended by this author in a previous Cowboy Chronicle issue. Thadd was a national level competitor in Cowboy Action Shooting from 1995-2001 and was a contributing editor for True West Magazine from 2001-2003. Through his production company, Talmarc Productions, Turner produced this film and also served as stunt coordinator and co-lead wrangler. In fact, if you look close, you will see Turner as one of the US Cavalry troopers attempting to evict the Indian family. The film has been picked up by American World Pictures for distribution through Hallmark with a release date of January 2006. Check your local listings.
