Sweetwater

There have been a few new westerns of late and I am glad to see the genre getting a new lease of life, but they all ought to take a few lessons from this little gem. Ed Harris plays Sherriff Cornelius Jackson a frontier lawman who is out to investigate why two of his relations didn't show up for an intended rendezvous. He figures they had to have gone missing in a part of the country that is under the control of what appears to be a slightly lunatic `Prophet' who is tantalisingly evil - played by Jason Isaacs.We also have January Jones (Sarah Ramirez)who is newly wed to a Mexican farmer and they are trying to carve a living from the sun parched land surrounded by the sheep of Prophet Josiah. Meantime's he wants to take over their land and or convert them to be part of his fledgling flock. He is not a man for compromises and cynically uses selective quotes from the Bible in order to justify his extreme actions and views, which would probably not even be politically correct even at the time this film is set. Needless to say he is a nasty piece of work and decides he will dish out some good old fashioned justice on behalf of the almighty, whilst maintaining a harem of `God fearing' girls.Every action has a reaction and for him it comes in the unwanted attention of both Sherriff Jackson and Mrs Ramirez who decide to get some frontier justice of their own. What follows is a brilliant story that grabs you from the off and just does not let up. There is action, humour, potty mouth cussing a plenty and some virtuoso performances from all the main players. I am a fan of Ed Harris and he never fails to put in stunning performances and some of that magic must have rubbed off as not a second of screen time seems to be wasted. Some credit must to go to director Logan Miller as this is beautifully shot too and the pacing is nigh on perfect.Some have criticised it for being simplistic but I have to aver that this was rollicking great fun all the way. This is one of those films where you want to award more than five stars as it is simply that good. If this is the future for westerns then their continued popularity is undoubtedly assured.

This film surprised me. Not a great deal of advertising for it, shame as it is most definitely worth a watch. An epic story of revenge set against the backdrop of the American Old West, Sweet Vengeance stars Ed Harris, January Jones, Jason Isaacs and Eduardo Noriega. Newlyweds Miguel (Noriega) and Sarah (January Jones) settle on a patch of land and soon encounter community preacher Prophet Josiah (Jason Isaacs). As Sheriff Jackson (Ed Harris) arrives in town, Prophet Josiah launches a plot to take Sarah's land, forcing her to defend her rights and launch an attack of vengeance that results in a jaw-dropping showdown.

I didn't have high expectations, with yet another straight to DVD Western coming along. The cast of eminently watchable actors (Ed Harris, Jason Isaac) persuaded me though, and I'm glad I was. This is a thoroughly surprising movie, never a pure Western and often pushing genre boundaries. But after a slow start, it really works, thanks in large part to an intermittently witty script and of course the performances.January Jones plays a woman who endures a tragic loss, which tips her over the edge to drastic action against the source of her tragedy - the self proclaimed Prophet Josiah, played by Jason Isaacs. His delusional, dangerous preacher is also responsible for another couple of murders, which brings an eccentric (putting it mildly) sheriff (Ed Harris) to come investigating. Harris is great value, genuinely unnerving in his eccentricity, skirting the line of cartoonishness while never going over it, and never letting it blunt the characters hard edge. You feel some sympathy when Isaacs tells him `You're a really queer man', to which the sheriff replies "Unusual. I prefer unusual.". However for me it is Jason Isaacs who steals the show with his portrayal of a character who could easily have been a wafer thin characterization, but becomes fully fleshed out and endlessly watchable in Isaacs hands. All of these means that the core of the movie - January Jones revenge driven widow, taking matters into her own hands, never quite draws us in as it should - we are more voyeurs to her story than engaged in understanding or debating her motives and actions.Beyond the characters, the cinematography belies its straight to DVD origins - as it should, with Brad Shield on lensing duties (Moulin Rouge, Star Wars Episode 2, The Avengers). The scenery in New Mexico is immaculately shot, and the direction by Logan Miller although slow to start, works well in creating a movie with its own distinctive hotch potch of genre styles.All in all, I liked this - nothing new in the story, but it's executed well (no pun intended) and Harris and Isaacs make it a cult classic in my book - not up there with Open Range or Seraphim Falls [Blu-ray], but a solid 6/10.p.s. - this has also been marketed under the title "Sweet Vengeance" in the UK.

Sweet Vengeance is a terrific film. Ed Harris, as ever, is brilliant. His portrayal of an eccentric sheriff who likes to sing at the landscape and dances like a mad ballerina is awesome. Jason Isaacs is a seriously nasty preacher with homicidal tendencies of the 'do as I say, not as I do' type of leadership. The star of the film is January Jones who plays her part of the aggrieved widow with disarming charm and sympathy. Not easy when you're killing pretty much everyone in sight. The scenery, costumes, plot, everything in fact is very understated but no less dramatic for that. A must buy DVD that I, for one, will be keeping to watch again, probably many times.

This film is a bit Tarantino-like. .So that's good if you like his films.Jeremy Issacs (Draco Malfoy's dad!) is a horrible, nasty, awful and great villain and Ed Harris is a wonderful, whimsical, strange sheriff. January Jones comes into her own half-way through..just wish she had done it sooner!Watch the film and you will see what l mean.It was a really good watch