The Virginian

I have heard more than a few comments on the quality of Trace Adkin's acting; I'm not sure what folks are expecting from a shoot 'em up western. I thought Trace fit the expected archetype of the western hero. It's for sure not Oscar worthy but it is on par with most action westerns.

I have never read the source material for this movie. I expect the movie took some liberty with the story. The plot does not flow very smoothly and left me with a lot of questions. It's not very clear what Trace's and the writer's job is or why he is constantly riding around the country. They mention off-handedly about doing some ranch work but generally, it seems they just like to ride around and camp.

It feels like a chunk of the story is missing. It never builds any motivation or emotion for the characters. Backstory is never really established.

I recommend this movie if your a Trace fan or a little bored and want something you don't have to pay much attention to.

I guess I had my hopes and expectations up real high, but to me this was really disappointing thing to see.

Some scenes and acting feel really awkward at some points. Steve's whiskey burned voice saves some, but does not make this a great western.

I think that I love The Virginian series as much as I hate this.

This movie:

As just a western - below OK.

As a Virginian - awful.

Don't expect too much with this if you like westerns / The Virginian series.

As Trace Adkins was first billed, I should have known to steer clear. With Ron Perlman listed, I figured it would get a chance. This is a Virginian clone on the level of what SyFy's Asylum studios rips off of blockbuster hits. Western movies are dead in a sense as they aren't the popular choice thet once were back from the beginning of cinema to the 70s. Because of their less popular status, big name actors (those that can act) and big name production companies avoid them like the plague. Every now and again, a decent remake will come out, but never any new content. For this remake, this was in no way the case. It seemed more on the lines of a CMT production with a has been country musician as the title character. All lines from Trace Adkins felt as if he was reading everything from a cue card. Ron Perlman's lines seemed read and shallow as well. The smallest parts in this movie were better acted by truly unheard of bit part players. The only things that were reminiscent of the original were the names of some characters and a few catchphrase lines from the book. I wouldn't even classify this as a western other than the props and setting. Star Wars could have made a more true western if put on that set with those props. It felt like a bunch of trailer trash lottery winners wanted to spend their winnings on making a childhood fantasy movie based off of watching The Virginian reruns. It was lazy, wordy, unpleasant, and bloated. Even the props and clothing was far from authentic. In one scene, you can even see the yellow rubber traction soles on the bottom of one of the character's boots after he is shot down, like a modern workboot sole. This movie is so awful, it is the kind of movie one plays when he or she is bed ridden for four months, have watched all the rest of the streaming videos and tried to stay away from this one, but it just kept popping up in the feed and just because there was nothing else to watch, out of sheer curiosity, one might break down and give it a chance, only to realize that lying on your back and counting the ceiling popcorn was a better option. And if you are a Trace Adkins music fan, you should know that he is a horrible actor and stayed away in the first place. What was Ron Perlman thinking for signing on to this?

Can't understand thew the 1/10 reviews on IMDb. Okay it has nothing to do with the old T.V series and should really not have a cash-in title. On it's own it's a worthy production and seems very authentic to those simplistic, rugged times. I'm a massive fan of the genre and can safely say, this is certainly worth a view (to judge for yourself). The performances all round were excellent to.

Trace Adkins plays the title character who prefers the name 'South.' He was raised by an authoritative cattle baron (Ron Perlman) in Wyoming where he works as a ranch enforcer. When a writer from the Big City (Brendan Penny) questions the inhumane treatment of rustlers, South defends the fierce realities of the "Code of the West." South's code is further probed by a newly arrived schoolmarm from Vermont (Victoria Pratt) and he begins to wonder about his upbringing and the Judge's motives.

Adkins makes for an iconic Westerner, as witnessed in "Traded" (2016) and "Hickok" (2017), where he played side characters. In "Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story" (2016) he plays the main protagonist, but that movie's noticeably inferior in overall filmmaking, even though it cost approximately the same amount to make. In other words, as low-budget as "Traded" and "Hickok" are, they worked quite well as made-for-TV/direct-to-video Westerns, all things considered. "Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story" is almost amateurish by comparison. Yet it still has some points of interest for those who don't mind slipshod productions.

The production of this loose re-telling of "The Virginian" (2014) is similar to that of "Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story," but noticeably better. Like that movie, the landscapes are limited to coniferous backdrops, fenced cattle fields, a small town and a shack here or there. You never see wide-spanning cinematography (obviously to save money). In a couple of scenes there are looming magnificent mountains. The overall vibe is very sparse and desolate, but it looks more like British Columbia than Wyoming.

Like Bill Pullman's version of the tale (2000), the movie's talky with mumbling dialogue, not to mention this isn't a rollicking shoot-'em-up Western; it's more of a realistic drama in the Old West with flashes of Western staples, like the hanging of rustlers, saloon confrontations and a brief Indian sequence. Victoria Pratt sure is beautiful though, even in one of those unappealing Western dresses. Adkins is a quintessential Westerner, but I think Pullman's version is the better flick; its second half is more compelling. This one's kind of meh. If you're a fan of Adkins, check out "Traded" and "Hickok" first.

The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes and was probably shot in British Columbia, like "Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story" (I'm guessing because I can't find any info on the shooting locations and the landscapes look similar).

GRADE: C