Most of the other bad reviews pretty much sum up the awful, uninspiring acting. But it's really bad on other levels as well. As a master carpenter and pioneer crafts enthusiast, I found the set to be utterly absurd. If I was playing a drinking game based on all the non period correct flubs, I'd be 3 sheets to the wind in 15 minutes. Just a few examples, because the movie was too painful to endure for more than that long.
1st scene: The oil lamp chimney is smooth glass with a flat cut top. Not the flared rippled top as ALL oil lamps of that period had. No carbon stains on the glass at all, just a brand new prop from Walmart, filled with water, just like the brand new stamped steel tray next to it. 2nd scene: The porch posts were finger jointed and CNC turned, neither of which existed back then, clear as day right above the "vote" sign (which also used v-match t&g milling. This also did not exist yet). It was incredibly expensive to get hand turned posts from the east, sent by train. They simple didn't use them for ordinary structures. Only the richest of the rich used ornate dimensional lumber. I mean, you could have smeared mud on them or something; dinged them up a little. NO doors back then had glass in them, except for banks. ALL glass was reserved for windows only on east, south and west facing walls. The glass was also "wavy" glass, no larger than 14" square for those that have done any glazier work and/or restoration, you know the deal. These details indicate to me that whoever was in charge of the set, didn't know half of what they should have or simply didn't care. It completely lacked any authenticity for me. Anybody that reads wild western period literature knows this stuff. The director and/or set manager clearly does not. In addition to bad acting, there's entirely too much dialog, and CHEESY, predictable dialog at that...poorly delivered. There's no unspoken body language which serves to express and carry a scene without the non period correct chit chat. Many of the best Westerns are great because of this. Up to the first 7 minutes there could have been zero dialog and still would have accomplished more to convey tension and emotion than what was. This movie is like a bad first draft of a bad high school play. A tired script and story line of poorly executed, cliché characters.
The film quality and cinematography was excellent, good job there. The audio and music was OK, but could have used a little more silence. Good mix and production. That's the only redeeming quality to this joke of a movie. The positive reviews are clearly people involved with the movie. It's best to just put this lame horse out of it's misery.
