Long Shadows

"Long Shadow's," screenwriter, Shelley Reid's powerful psychological western thriller grabs you at the beginning and doesn't let go! Excellent cinematography and musical score, plus strong performances by Grainger Hines, Blaine Maye and Dermot Mulroney make this movie a box office must see! Sarah Cortez and Jacqueline Bisset are fantastic in this movie with an unexpected twist on revenge.

I've no idea where the high mark reviews originate from but they're obviously fakes. This film is utterly boring drivel with no redeeming value. The sets are cheap, the script is so dull it's impossible to find anything of interest. It's like a soap opera in a western setting. It's almost all just talking in rooms like a play but nothing seems to happen. When there's action it's all just not entertaining at all. I recommend watching this if you're suffering from insomnia. Or watch it to see that Jacqueline Bisset is now very old. She is the only actor I recognize in this extremely slow and uninteresting mess of a film. I had to fast forward to look for some action but nothing of interest. Some kid trying to save a girl from a brothel.... nothing original at all.

I'm a fan of the western genre so my standard is pretty high. This is no Unforgiven or Lonesome Dove but it's worth watching because of the unique twist of the main character in the third act. Highlights are the Arizona cinematography, Dermot Mulroney's grizzled sheriff, and Sarah Cortez's beauty which steals every scene.

Without ever even having heard about this 2025 Western titled "Long Shadows", I opted to give the movie a fair chance, as I had the opportunity to watch it. And sure, I sat down without any expectations, nor knowing what I was in for aside from it being a Western, so I suppose director William Shockley had every opportunity to entertain and impress me.

Writers Shelley Reid, William Shockley and Grainger Hines collectively didn't manage to churn out a particularly entertaining or enjoyable script. The movie felt prolonged and somewhat bland. There were simply too long stretches of nothing interesting in between the parts of the movie that proved to be entertaining.

The movie does have some good talents on the cast list, with the likes of Dominic Monaghan, Jacqueline Bisset, Dermot Mulroney and Chris Mulkey. The acting performances in "Long Shadows" are good.

There are far, far better Western movies out there with a revenge theme. And this movie just simply didn't stand out. And thus, it is not a movie that I would recommend you to rush out and get to watch. Nor is it a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time.

Perhaps diehard Western fans will get a bigger kick out of "Long Shadows" than I did as a casual viewer.

My rating of director William Shockley's 2025 movie "Long Shadows" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.