Red Headed Stranger

Average western drama highlighted by the always welcome presence of charismatic Willie Nelson in the lead role. The story is simple but effective for western style: a preacher (Nelson) became a furious and violent gunman after his wife (Fairchild)leaves him for another man. As a gunman, he must fight against cruel landowner (Dano) and his violent sons for the right of use of a water fountain in a distant and poor town.

Good scenes of fight and a decent photography made this one really watchable. A bit too predictable and slow at same points. But the good cast (R.G. Armstrong, as Nelson' old friend is terrific)is another great background.

Based on the album by the same title, Willie Nelson stars as a preacher who goes by the name of "Julian Shay" who has recently married and subsequently sent out west to the small town of Driscoll, Montana. Unfortunately, when they get to their destination both he and his bride, "Raysha" (Morgan Fairchild) soon realize that their new hometown is extremely cold and inhospitable. This prompts Julian to roll up his sleeves and get to work. Raysha, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with it and leaves at the first opportunity. This is when the trouble really begins. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a strange but interesting movie primarily due to the acting of R. G. Armstrong (as "Sheriff Reese Scoby"), Royal Dano ("Larn Claver"), the aforementioned Willie Nelson and the presence of two beautiful actresses like Katherine Ross ("Laurie") and Morgan Fairchild. On the flip side, the story itself could have used a bit more substance and character development which might have helped it to seem less raw and to flow more smoothly from one scene to the next. In any case, it was still entertaining for the most part and I rate it as slightly above average.

I was surprised this was released in 1986 as watching it the film felt much more like a western from the early 70's in both tone and filming style. I don't know if this was planned or due to the limited budget but either way it perhaps helps and gives the film some more charm.

It opens, and indeed the first hour, is very mild mannered and quite a family friendly western story... I won't go beyond that but I did find the change of pace and tone jarring initially. However by the end of the film it all actually all works well.

There is a great performance by R. G. Armstrong given more room to act here than his normal roles often gave him. Other than perhaps Barbarosa, I've never been 100% convinced by Willie as an actor, that said his charm shines through every scene and he's always very watchable.

I very much enjoyed this film, it is flawed and a tiny bit dated, watching it you do wonder quite how the marriage at the beginning of the film ever came to be. But while the pace is perhaps leisurely as it opens the story does keep moving and there are a lot of great original scenes and great performances. And there is the music too of course.

Not much dialog for a movie that I enjoyed. The music was excellent, I guess because I like Willie Nelson. Sad and reflective. It shows how a person can change not just from good to bad but back again. Willies expressions were always sad and for the most part the movie was to.

Along with Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson has been making films as well as albums for years. _Red Headed Stranger_, an idea based on the album of the same name, is pretty much spaghetti-western fare. Nelson plays a preacher, his band plays the bad guys, Morgan Fairchild plays the wife and the carnage begins.

While certainly not Oscar-worthy, it is a must see for any true Nelson fan. I recommend getting some friends, a Willie-style "cigarette", a bottle of whiskey and this movie. Featuring tracks from the album _Red Headed Stranger_, the soundtrack is better than the film. Another notable film is _Honeysuckle Rose_, where Nelson plays basically himself.

All in all, cheesy fun. And, the film was shot in Texas, behind Nelson's Perdenales recording studio and golf club.