STORYLINE: A wounded outlaw finds unexpected mercy in the care of a rancher’s daughter. The hope of love pulls him toward a different life until the law, and his violent past, close in on his new home. Now he must choose the kind of man he’ll become. (IMDb)

    Wyatt Earp participated in the shootout at the OK corral, in Tombstone (1993).  Seth MarFarlane found the humor out west, in the 2014 spoof A Million Ways to Die in the West.   Arnie Hammer and Johnny Depp brought The Lone Ranger (2014) back to the silver screen.  Viggo Mortenson made his directorial debut with the western The Dead Don’t Hurt (2023).  Angel and the Badman is the latest western, to make its way into cinemas.

     Since movie theaters first opened their doors, it seems westerns have been an audience favorite genre.  The same can be said for horror films.  I thoroughly enjoy watching westerns, and there stories of cowboys and outlaws.    Naturally, I galloped to see the latest western, Angel and the Badman.

    Angel and the Badman has all the textbook tropes that a western features: cookie cutter good characters, cookie cutter bad characters, and a shades of gray leading character to save the day.  There is a morally grey sheriff as well.  In this motion picture, he is played by the great Tommy Lee Jones. 

    These characters fill out a stereotypical western story, good guys and bad guys clash in a small western town. The problem with this feature film is that Angel Studios released it.  A lot of the excitement, I enjoy, in the western genre, was removed in favor of their religious message.  The studio has yet to find that balance of message and excitement in cinema. In fact, they still tend to ever do it with their message, to the point of being condescending.  Angel and the Badman was no exception.  To their credit, they put there movies in theaters, and I support the movie going experience. So, I still go see their movies.

    Angel and the Badman is a western featuring all the favorites fans of the genre can expect. The exception being, the thrills are watered down in favor of the message.

   Until next time, I will see you at the movies!