Aces 'N' Eights

Yes, sadly, we have a look into DVD Perdition, where ex-actors who used to be something are consigned to doing bad films.

This film has three guys who used to have name recognition- Casper Van Dien, Bruce Boxleitner and Ernest Borgnine. Hell, Ernie won an Oscar. (He's also 91 and still acting, that says a lot.)

The plot is that the railroad is coming through, and Ernest doesn't want to sell his land. The railroad hires a bunch of thugs, who used to know ranch hand van Dien. A bunch of clichéd western themes, you aren't going to mistake this for Deadwood, that's for sure.

The movie is plodding and slow, there is little chemistry between the characters. The ending is the typical showdown that John Wayne did 50 years ago and much better. Boxleitner could have been John Wayne 40 years ago, but maybe we've outgrown a need for John Wayne.

I've been watching western in my whole life mainly the classics and B-movies of fifties and sixties, but new productions using former actors to sell the picture like this is a crying shame, the plot is usual, however the Kober's gang massacre is absolutely senseless, killing for killing is totally lack of intelligence and reason, Carper Van Dien is a regular actor doesn't hold the picture, already Boxleitner has a decent acting together with Borgnine after all not enough among such mediocrity, finally the lack of beauty women in the story is another weak point, although in beginning has some they didn't participating of the movie itself and Deirdre Quinn isn't quite beauty and looks like a nun, anyway a bad movie!!

The railroad must go through! A reformed outlaw sides with the dirt farmers in a fight with a crooked railroad promoter who uses outlaws to murder the farmers who oppose him. Good script, good acting, portentous music, along with good photography, stunt work and editing make this an above average Western. Uses all the cliches, of course. Lots of fighting towards the end, brutal murders along the way, but surprisingly little gore, which makes the violence all the more effective.

Howard (William Atherton) is in charge of the construction of a railway line. With a few properties in the way and with farmers refusing to sell because their properties are worth more than they're offered, Howard resorts to drastic measures to 'eliminate' the farmers. Tate (Jeff Kober), a ruthless man with no conscience, seems to enjoy torturing and killing the farmers.

Casper van Dien stars as Luke Rivers, who helps Thurmond Prescott (Ernest Borgnine) on his farm. He used to ride with Tate, but resorted to a new, peaceful life. His romance interest is the school teacher, Jo Tanner (Deidre Quinn). I found their romance subtle and beautiful.

The film's opening scenes set the tone for what Tate and his henchmen are capable of. This elevates the tension as negotiations with Prescott fails, and Tate planning to 'deal with him.' In the middle of all the chaos is Jess Riley (Jack Noseworthy) from the Railroad, who is trying to settle matters peacefully.

'Aces 'n Eights' is an action-packed, and fairly violent Western.

Casper Van Dien stars in Aces 'N' Eights as a former gunslinger in Jeff Kober's band of thugs for hire who up and quits and decides to settle down and lead a peaceful life. Rancher Ernest Borgnine takes him in and life goes well.

That is until Kober's murderous band gets hired by William Atherton of the railroad and he wants a lot of ranches cleared out. And Kober is a man who enjoys killing to make that happen.

I have to say this was a strange western for someone who's seen more than his share. Most of the time if the plot involved the railroad coming through it was a good thing and it was bad guys who had insider knowledge of that happening trying to push people off their land. In some cases it was the railroad, most famously in the Tyrone Power classic Jesse James that was strong arming people off their property, but just killing them? After all, the railroad just wants a right of way, enough room to lay down their tracks.

Which made this western a rather dubious proposition for me. Still there's enough action to satisfy any western fan. There's also an adroit performance Bruce Boxleitner as one of Kober's men who plays a distinctly lone hand.