The Stand at Paxton County

Very interesting true story that I feel needed to be told. This was film editor Brett Hedlund's directorial debut, and although his inexperience showed, especially in directing his cast, it was still decent for his first visit to the rodeo. Newb writers Carl Morris and David Michael O'Neill put the story together quite well and smoothly, but the pacing certainly needed a pick-up, as the 102 min runtime felt long and dragged out. I'm glad though that this film wasn't Hollywood glorified. It felt more like a Lifetime TV show, and that's not a bad thing. Cinematography was good, and the score and sound very fitting. An enjoyable film, but you'll need patience before anything really interesting starts to happen. It's a 7/10 from me.

Netflix has a little drama, The Stand at Paxton County, that can be neglected for its hackneyed plot but not ignored for the real-life application of a new law opening ranches in the NW to exploitation and old-fashioned rustling.

The new Title allows a neighboring rancher or farmer to claim neglect and, with a vet's nod, send the sheriff to confiscate the animals. This thriller depicts the consequences for an accused rancher. As mystery, the film is pretty pedestrian; as a wakeup call for ranchers, farmers, and those sympathetic to their struggles, it succeeds getting attention, if only to point out how property rights can be endangered, and, of course, basic freedom.

Army medic Janna Connelly (Jacqueline Toboni), on leave to visit her ailing N Dakota dad, Dell (Michael O'Neill), finds some local authorities are harassing ranchers with the new legislation, to the point of one rancher committing suicide. Because she is a trained medic, she researches the problem and pursues a solution. The problem involves bad hombres trying legally to benefit from seizing livestock, and good people hamstrung by the new law.

While the plot is boilerplate thriller, the insight into the downside of such a statute is eye-opening if not sensational. The plot takes sinister turns including poisoning and murder. In N Dakota? Yep, just ask the Fargo folks. This place can't get a break, and as isolated remote as the state is, we have an abiding interest in its extracurricular mayhem.

Although nothing in the plot can be considered remotely new, except for the legal boondoggle that propels it, a little bell of awareness rings about our fellow Americans' ability to encroach on our freedoms by pursuing our property by legal means. That's the rub of this thriller: seemingly good people turn bad when money and property rule.

See The Stand at Paxton County: you'll learn something about N. Dakota, the wild West, and the vulnerability livestock owners face every day.

It's a 6 quality movie, but a 9 quality message, so it gets a 7.

The end is way to much 80's - 90's style, contrived, but the first 3/4 of it is really good.

The message is that no matter how nice and froofy Humane Society NAZIs pretend to be, they are out to kill you, the animals, anything alive that they can get their bloody hands on, while smiling and praising themselves and making money from it. There are a lot of people that care for animals and people out there, but they don't work for humane organizations or government.

My family lived this nightmare. The following is just my opinion based on what I know about the true story and the movie.

There were some liberties taken, but the people involved in the production took a lot of time and effort to keep to the majority of the true story; yes it is "based on," but the corruption of a sheriff who had lost his way, the fact that a vet wielded her power to try and take all the animals that were worth money (they left the dog and cats, but the vet was going to get all the mares that were expecting babies), the law was voted down by the voters but passed in back door legislation and was sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States are part of the true story.

Early on when I was told how it was going to have originated (an anonymous complaint from out of state) it all sounded a little too conspiracy theory to me too.

Until it happened. Exactly like I had been told it would. The Humane Society of the United States also provides training to our law enforcement and they train that minor every day things are "criminal negligence."

I do not think it was a coincidence that The Humane Society of the US had provided training to the sheriffs department before this ordeal started.

By the grace of God we prevailed; but what would you do if they showed up at your door?

Is your Sheriff an honest person with integrity who will stand up for citizens rights? Or will they fold to special interests that make donations of equipment in addition to political donations?

Feel free to take a look at the page TheStandAtPaxtonCounty true story on Facebook. I outline what is Hollywood and what was the true story.

If the movie is about 80% true to the real story still propaganda? Not if you ask me; I was there and these type of cases are happening across America everyday and I know that now because it happened to my family.

This movie is based on a true story and illustrates the what happens when you have corrupt people in positions of authority. It is well worth watching as a lesson in history of what can happen when bad people get into positions of power.