Ghost Rock

A "western" with people running around doing Shaolin kung fu. There's a "Chinese" character who looks as Chinese as my Aunt Sally, who has never seen a Chinese person in her life. All the bad guys are dummies, and even though they always have their guns aimed at the good guys at point blank range and could kill them at any time, never bothers to pull the trigger. This, despite the fact that the bad guy's head honcho (Gary Busey) has killed people randomly throughout the film, but for some reason always lets the hero go so he can come back for one of those final shoot-outs. The script by the star is nonsensical, even as camp. The martial arts is actually quite good, but in the background of a western, it's just...wrong. Also, did the female lead steal Sharon Stone's clothes from THE QUICK AND THE DEAD? Someone call the police.

4 out of 10

Michael Worth stars as a gun-runner who goes up against the local mobster (Gary Busey) who wiped out Worth's friends and family years ago, however a mysterious blonde has returned and is killing of Busey's gang one by one, also on hand is Jeff Fahey who is fairly useless to the High Plains Drifter rip off storyline. When I think westerns I don't think of dynamic martial artistry combining with six-shooters. There is a problem of tone and due to this the movie never gels and we are left to flounder in the silliness of watching a hybrid of two genres that never mix that well. The best of these hybrids was Lone Wolf McQuade but the movie this reminds me was the Olvier Gruner starred dud The Fighter. Which also combined kickboxing with western antics, the western ripped off there was Shane, where as this one rips off High Plains Drifter, even down to the "twist" at the end. This is of course a very silly effort but Dustin Rikert is not much of an action director and for this the movie is fairly dull.

*1/2 out of 4-(Poor)

I am a true lover of westerns, including the "B" westerns of Hollywood's golden era, so I tend to be tolerant of diverse production values. However, this is truly a time-waster. Continuity is sporadic, transitions are sometimes clumsy, comedy breaks are mediocre to silly, and stunt work is often abysmal. Gary Busey is the highlight in this film, although he did nothing to elevate his status by playing in this movie. He is a talented and accomplished actor and would undoubtedly shine, in even the worst movie. (Perhaps he just had that chance.) Now, not every small movie is a time-waster. Some of them turn out to be real gems. This is not one of them.

With their careers drawing to a close, I think Mr.Busey, Mr. Fahey and Ms. Barbeau grabbed the jobs without even reading the script. Oh - wait ! There was no script. This disaster movie disguised as a inept blending of other old western plots had me laughing all the way. But I should have been absorbed in the tale; not laughing. The film screamed "amateur" from the very beginning. Then all through the film (edited I think by the director's sixth grade son) oddly disconnected scenes accompanied by loud (presumably for added drama) music. Although they are featured as the stars, Busey, Fahey and Barbeau were doubtless recruited for a little name power since all of them played only supporting roles. James Hong is always good, but his role added little to the tale. There is little rhyme or reason to this film. I had the impression that the director just winged it from day to day for all of the three days it took to destroy 90 minutes of film.

During the Civil War, John Slaughter witnesses a massacre committed by Jack Pickett and others. Among the dead is 12-year-old Savanah. Twenty years later, John helps defeat a gang that is terrorizing a town which most people have abandoned. Afterward, he is told that his father has died and Pickett has taken over the town of Ghost Rock. John returns to the town where his father was respected and finds a Chinese family is being mistreated. He was good friends with these people at one time and tries to help them and the other people living under Pickett's rule, but his efforts make Jack Pickett mad. A tough but beautiful mystery girl who looks like Bo Derek as Calamity Jane shows up to help make peace in the town. Her name is Savanah; does that really mean the little girl actually survived the massacre? Or is she a ghost? There is evidence for both views.

Eventually those troublemakers John dealt with earlier come to Ghost Rock and make more trouble.

The best thing about this movie was Cherokee Bill, the movie's comic relief. Craig Wasson does a very good job with Pickett's moronic lackey.

And Jenya Lano is much more than a pretty face. She does a good job and her character can really take care of herself.

The movie also has occasional comic moments. And there is a romance which is sort of pleasant. Actually, I suppose John and Savanah come close to being a couple, but John likes one of the ... working girls.

Other than that, I suppose the fighting was good. With Chinese involved, this is kind of a martial arts western, but nowhere near the quality of "Shanghai Noon".

There were two songs with the closing credits. "Follow the Light" by Melanie Monroe was not at all appropriate because it emphasized technology over substance. The other was a good country song that fit perfectly, even though the style might not have existed in 1882.

But be sure to watch the closing credits because numerous cast and crew photos show these people had a good time making this movie.

It wasn't a complete waste of time.