Yellow Rock

I'm a huge western fan but the other 2 reviewers on this film are way off base...must be related biased basis to the production of the film. This film is just awful... you'd be far better off just watching an old episode of Roy Rogers. The acting and the script are both completely lacking of any substance and with half the budget and a camcorder anyone could have made a better western than this...don't waste your time. The story line needs work and in many places scene changes are completely disjointed. The actress playing the good doctor simply isn't believable in her role and her lines are lacking in reality. The bad guys are really the only semi-bright spot but there is absolutely no character development from that end either. The movie sets were extremely amateurish but the camera work and cinematography were at least somewhat up to standard for such a low budget film. Nevertheless, I absolutely can not recommend this film even to the most die-hard western fan.

"I don't give a damn about those Indians, all I care about is finding my brother and the boy." When Max Dietrich's (Russo) brother and son go missing he sets out to find them. When he gets to the town of Yellow Rock he hires Tom Hanner (Biehn) to guide him to where his brother is. After meeting up with a doctor and getting permission from the tribe's elders they set out on the path to find them. Against the wishes of the Indian guide with them they pass through a sacred burial ground. I'll save you the "western genre is dead" speech, but again this is another movie that isn't terrible but is a B-movie at best. The idea is neat and the cast actually has people that I've heard of but like most westerns lately this one is very slow moving and not really worth watching more then once. Little by little it seems like western movies are starting to get better, but at this pace it will have a full revival in the year 2067. Overall, not as bad as most of the new westerns that have been made and worth watching, but don't expect amazing. I give it a B-.

The historical information questionable, which was displayed in the narrative by the native American at the beginning of the movie (Was it the white man who began scalping, or the native American?...Did the native Americans really live in PEACE before the white came?...Seems that they were always fighting with other and taking other tribal members into slavery...) Also, the dialog was not good, the Dr.'s outfit seemed tailored, the boards were cut mostly clean through as with a table saw or ban saw, the intonation of the dialog was inappropriate, and the Dr.'s hair was dyed red...she looked too old to have non-gray hair. Also, the guy who drank all the time clearly tried to take after Val Kilmer in Tombstone...very bad imitation. The tribe coming at the end and shooting the one man without even knowing what happened with the others seemed a little strange. I think I wasted my money.

This is a Western so of course there was shootin' and fightin'. Nothing too graphic but there was some blood. The sound went out several times and a character's mouth was covered by a rectangle. There is more emphasis on a strong woman, meaning the doctor, unlike some older Westerns. Sarah is played by Lenore Andriel, who was a writer and producer as well. Native American traditions are respected, even if the bad guys constantly disrespect the "Injuns". Since the actor playing Broken Wing is listed as "Native American consultant", I assume he is doing everything right.

The burial ground scene is quite creepy with a lot of smoke and weird music.

The goal is eventually reached, after many obstacles. It's not what you might think. Hint: what is the movie's title and what did Black Feather say?

It's not an important or classic western, but it is okay.

An off beat western with occasional entertaining scenes.