Texas Red

Terrible, worst ever, avoid : these words should do it.

Questions have been raised asking, "How is this a Western?" Historical truth: many of the stereotypes we associate with the culture of the trans-Mississippi "Wild West" originated in the Deep South, pre-War, including the "shootout" (the southern duel), the outlaw turned sheriff, the tough Sheriff who controlled his territory, the juke joint (saloon). These and other cultural elements were exported to the Far West with surviving Confederate soldiers, who, when returning post-War to a decimated South, headed West. The original venue for the highwayman and American outlaw type originated along the Natchez Trace; that, too, was an export. As far as "Is this a true story?" Yes, in its essential elements, although every storyteller-- in this case, Mr. Mills-- has license to "translate" it to a new medium.

It's interesting to me how broad the Western genre can be. In this case the film is based on the true story of Texas Red. Even though it takes place around 1940 in the Deep South, it still feels like a Posse Western, and still challenges our views of civil rights. This is well shot and directed. Several actors like Burnside, Johnson, and Hall give believable, emotional performances.

Great Cast and a very good movie. Filmed in Mississippi where actual events happened. Don't miss this little bit of history of 1940 about a man they called Texas Red. Very good acting by the Cast.

Considering the budget, this seemed to really stretch every dollar. An overall great film.

The photography was wonderful. The scoring actually pleasently surprised me at times.

The acting was up and down. I felt a few actors did really well while others not so much.

If the budget was doubled, I'd invest in higher quality sound equipment for less reliability on ADR. Sometimes it's very noticable when lip reading dialogue doesn't match up.

Also more atmosphere would help, especially in the woods. The sfx can be costly, but it would really help the picture.

Was worth the watch. Have no clue why some of these people feel the need to give this 1 star and be nasty. This really was a good film!