Lady Gun Fighter

What a pity! All this effort from a full cast and crew with all the potential of a great little movie. Great locations, very good period costume design and set design. Mostly decent performances and above average production values. But they were all compromised by a very feeble script and clumsy direction. The movie has moments of good suspense to begin with, but gradually as the awful dialogue and the stumbling storyline unfolds, the suspension of disbelief is eroded and the flaws begin screaming out with the agony of mediocrity.

The first act is pretty good and succeeds in engaging the viewer. But as the plot unravels it gets harder to stay engaged as disbelief sets in. Several interesting plot points are introduced but never resolved.

The best part is the scenery, it is very beautiful to look at, with majestic mountains and rich flora. It is New Zealand after all. I kept looking for Frodo to pop in for a cameo.

The presentation of frontier life in the fringes of civilization was also interesting, and illustrated very well the randomness of death that could surprise even the seasoned and experienced,

Alice Eve does a great job with the starring part as the distraught mother, but as the story collapses there is not much she can do.

But the scenery and the dangers by themselves does not make a god movie. The last 30 minutes steadily go downhill until the weak ending.

Side note, a better movie with Alice Eve is Replica, with Keanu Reeves. That one is a 7.5 .

For an obviously low budget film, this isn't too bad. The storyline is captivating and well developed, the characters hold interest and are well acted. Go in with little to no expectations and it's quite enjoyable, just don't hold a candle to any of the details.

This movie is a bit disingenuous in its advertising - a woman with a gun behind her back and the tag line, "She's Coming For You". The Alice Eve character was weak and needy for 95% of the movie. She wasn't a vigilante by any means - never armed and "coming for anybody" in the entire movie! She was stupid, naive, and man-dependent throughout. Even after being horribly wronged, she seemed stunningly unchanged. Poor writing or directing or acting? As the credits rolled I had no faith that our "hero" would live to see another day unless some kind-hearted man saved her. Pretty much the OPPOSITE of what I hoped for. I recommend the movie Sweetwater, starring January Jones if you want to see a satisfying vigilante movie.

I didn't know what to expect from this movie but I enjoyed. It could have been a lot better if they had developed the characters a lot more as well as the story.