The Stolen

Here we have another clichéd and very unimpressive attempt at what could've been a strong, memorable revenge tale. Since the first few scenes and spoken lines of dialogue I knew just how uninteresting and predictably bland this film was going to be. Although the writing of the script is highly questionable I think the story should have been considered better as a soap opera. Alice Eve delivers an unconvincing yet borderline-acceptable performance. The acting overall is evidently deficient and it becomes distracting after a while. The climax leaves you unmoved and careless after a lot of weak acting and predictable plot points. On the other hand the cinematography and landscape shots are pretty nice as you would expect in any 'western' flick. The musical score is alright for the most part but at times it feels a bit out of place. Camerawork and editing are pretty average and acceptable. Production design is suitable although some of the sets look clearly unfinished and hurriedly made. All in all not recommended, do not waste your time in this. Go watch a real american western instead.

This movie is a bit disingenuous in its advertising - a woman with a gun behind her back and the tag line, "She's Coming For You". The Alice Eve character was weak and needy for 95% of the movie. She wasn't a vigilante by any means - never armed and "coming for anybody" in the entire movie! She was stupid, naive, and man-dependent throughout. Even after being horribly wronged, she seemed stunningly unchanged. Poor writing or directing or acting? As the credits rolled I had no faith that our "hero" would live to see another day unless some kind-hearted man saved her. Pretty much the OPPOSITE of what I hoped for. I recommend the movie Sweetwater, starring January Jones if you want to see a satisfying vigilante movie.

There could be quite a few exciting and interesting films set in NZ during this time period and earlier but they don't seem to be getting made and this TV movie with it's complete lack of reality does not cut it.

What a pity! All this effort from a full cast and crew with all the potential of a great little movie. Great locations, very good period costume design and set design. Mostly decent performances and above average production values. But they were all compromised by a very feeble script and clumsy direction. The movie has moments of good suspense to begin with, but gradually as the awful dialogue and the stumbling storyline unfolds, the suspension of disbelief is eroded and the flaws begin screaming out with the agony of mediocrity.

As an enormous fan of Westerns and a New Zealander, I was so excited to watch this film - having now seen it I'm left with nothing but disappointment. I'll run you through a quick pros and cons list

Pros

• Beautiful scenery
• Interesting and under-explored setting

Cons

• Predictable plot
• Idiotic characters
• Several poor actors
• Weak third act
• Little to no character development in anybody other than the protagonist.

This film feels like it's building to something that never comes. I had enormous hopes and probably a pretty large bias towards the film from the beginning, but it still failed to even entertain me. 4 stars