We struck gold on YouTube yesterday–Badland, starring Kevin Makey as a post-Civil War detective tracking down war criminals who have been tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death. You can imagine their lack of cooperation with the law.
This movie is a classic! Move over, Clint Eastwood; move over, Toshiro Mifune; Mr. Makey belongs in your company. Think Yojimbo. Think A Fistful of Dollars. Badland has it all. It even has Wes Studi. I can hardly believe it was released in 2019 and we only saw it now.
I cover nooze, and I get tired, so dog-tired, of watching the Bad Guys just walk away from consequences. So when Good for a change wipes up the floor with Evil, we, the audience, want to stand up and cheer.
Bruce Dern is superb as a former war criminal now dying of pneumonia and being cared for by his daughter. Not much point in hanging a man who’s already dying. But what Pinkerton agent Matthias Breecher (Makey) does is righteous and, well, inspiring. There is room here for redemption. And don’t we all need that!
Then there’s the photography, the music score, and the overall acting–top of the line, every bit of it. It’s already one of my all-time favorite films. I’ll be seeing it again, you can be sure of that. There are moments in it that just blew me away.
Wow talk about “coincidences”! I was literally just looking through some westerns for something I haven’t seen. (Add to that I just pulled out my copy of Seven Samurai. I think I stepped on a few feelings when I tell people I love it far more than The Magnificent Seven😁)
So mistrustful (I know, it’s sad) of what’s out there nowadays. I’ll take the recommendation! Thanks.
Patty and I love Seven Samurai; and we also love The Magnificent Seven. It’s just too bad we have to rely on movies to see the Bad Guys get theirs.
I guess I missed this one because my wife is not into westerns after being raised on them in the ’60’s. I will definitely check it out next time I see it being aired. The good guys winning over the bad guys are the only shows and movies I watch – none of that vacuous existential stuff for me.