Far Haven

It felt like a Hallmark version of a western with not much of a script. The acting is barely there. The writing is nonexistent. You can easily figure out where the plot is heading; there's no mystery. Not a single curse word used I believe. There's no tension. Nothing to make me want to stay invested in the movie which I found myself almost falling asleep through several times. I can only imagine that this movie appeals to a certain group of people that it's aimed towards. Once again, no cursing, no sex and no nudity. The movie overall has almost a religious overtone. You have been warned! I wished I could reclaim the lost time I spent watching this thing.

I loved the theme of redemption in this movie, and I loved the cast. Bailey Chase is a hottie from "Longmire" who has a great, low-key presentation in this Western setting. I also just watched him in a "Left Behind" movie, and he's got some great range. A Martinez is one of my favorite actors -- I've seen him in so many things over the years and it's always been good from him. Then there's Chris Mulkey, whom I remember from "Twin Peaks." Nice bad guy. Here, you don't really know which way he's going to go. Don Most from "Happy Days" -- that was fun to see. Everyone in the cast delivers well. The storyline has a classic Western vibe and is predictable at times, but who cares when the ending is good and the message is a positive one.

I'm sorry. I wanted to like this movie. It's awful. Obviously fans, friends and family of the cast are rating it much higher than it deserves. I don't think it's the fault of the cast as all are wonderful. The material is very poorly written and I don't feel the story conveys what they described in interviews. It's too much crammed into a short film. It jumps around. It's on the level of a cheaply made for TV movie. It's a hallmark feature with a happy ending. What it's not is a western. If you really like this film go watch True Grit, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Shane then come update your review.

Granted, while I am not overly fond of Western movies in general, I do sit down every now and again to watch one, when I happen to stumble upon one. And thus, I sat down to watch the 2023 Western "Far Haven" from writers Dustin Rikert and William Shockley, as I happened to have the opportunity to watch it here in 2024.

Sure, I had never heard about "Far Haven", so I wasn't really sure what I was in for, aside from it being a Western movie. However, I have to say that the narrative in the movie was so slow paced and sluggish that the movie never had a chance. The pacing of the narrative was sleep-inducing, and I have to admit that I ended up giving up on the movie 52 minutes into the 101 minute runtime. I just wasn't entertained at all.

And it didn't help the boring narrative that the characters were about as interesting as watching grass grow. The writers really botched this one.

There were a couple of familiar faces on the cast list, with the likes of A Martinez, Martin Kove and Chris Mulkey. The acting performances were fair enough, despite the fact that the actors and actresses virtually had nothing to work with in terms of script, storyline and character gallery.

If you enjoy Westerns, then perhaps you might find something enjoyable to "Far Haven". But I sat down to watch it as a casual viewer, and not as a fan of the Western genre, so I found little of any worth in this movie. And I am not returning to attempt finish watching the movie, because I wasn't entertained by the storyline, or lack thereof, nor did I take a liking to any of the one-dimensional characters.

My rating of director Gary Wheeler's 2023 Western "Far Haven" lands on a two out of ten stars.

THIS MOVIE BRINGS LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS! YES ! A FEEL GOOD MOVIE!

GIVES HOPE TO THOSE THAT ARE HOPELESS.

IT INSPIRES ! IT CREATES WHAT WAS TO A GREATER DEGREE! IT LEAVES YOU FILLED WITH ENERGY! AND HOPE FOR OTHERS!

IT MAKES YOU WANT TO LOOK FOR A OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW LOVE AND ASSIST OTHERS IN BUILDING THEIR ON BRIDGE OUT TROUBLESOME SITUATIONS.

THE HEART OF MEN WERE SHOWN IN THIS MOVIE SOME GREEDY PULLING ALL TO THEMSELVES. SOME HEARTS OVERFLOWING WITH CARE FOR OTHERS THAT HAD NO ONE ELSE TO PICK THEM UP!

EVERYDAY MEN AND WOMEN DISCOVERING STRENGTH,BOLDNESS THAT THEY DID NOT REALIZE WAS INSIDE OF THEM! TILL LOVE BECAME THEIR POWER!