This...is no Deadwood. Well, at least not like the series. Probably even less like the actual town establishments. This is more the PG version. Technically G, apparently, despite a lot of dudes getting shot. That’s ok for the censorship boards, apparently, at least back then. But other than that, this is a fun little western with a side-cheek of comedy that is as harmless as it is entertaining.
Jason McCollough rides into a frontier town that’s experienced a recent gold-rush boom. He’s just passing through, on his way to Australia. But circumstances (like, needing some money to continue on), has him take up a job in the local town for him to finance his future journey. Turns out, they are woefully in need of a sheriff, with the riffraff there being pretty plentiful and fighty. It pays well, plus room and board. Seems like he’s dealt with these kindsa punks before, so, sure, let’s give it a whirl. Helps that his residents has an attractive daughter. Who might also be kinda rich from the recent gold findins. Madame Orr’s House is, shall we say, a popular attraction, this is just the G-rated Deadwood version. A nostalgic look at the times back then, but not in a crazy Blazing Saddles kinda way.
The story here ain’t deep. But Garner does a fun job with the character, using his smarts and ingenuity instead of iron that helps him take on pretty much any situation the wild west throws at him. Helps that he’s exceptional with the gun, too. The crazy doctor from Cannonball Run? Awesome here. TV M*A*S*H’s Colonel Potter? Nice job. Bruce Dern has a decent role too. Ultimately, this is a nice little vapid romance story told through a very clean western lens. Some entertaining bits throughout as the sheriff and his deputy deal with the more unsavory of the locals. Director Kennedy and Garner re-team a few years later in Support Your Local Gunfighter which apparently isn’t really a sequel, but does involve a lot of the same actors but in a different silly kind of story.
