BurntEloi

The Steadicam work alone is enough to want to watch this film. The way it is shot and the content is amazing. I had no expectations going into this and was blown away.

As for the story, if you think something like this is purely fiction, history says different.

Absolutely terrible! I don't even know where to begin, obviously some decent production values, big name actors, none of which can save this abortion of a film.

Seriously the suits have buggered up Mr. King's magnum opus in such a way that I am without the ability to even articulate how stupid a move this was. This could have been 3 movies and a 5 season series at least... the suits left a billion dollars sitting on the table and walked away. WOW!

I have to go back and re-read the series again just to get the sour taste of this film out of my mouth. If you are wise, simply put this film out of your mind, it never happened and doesn't exist.

My sincerest sympathies to Stephen King. You didn't deserve that.

I have to admit that the alternate (USA DVD) title "The way of the west" doesn't speak to the movies content. I am certain the only reason they created an alternate title for USA distribution is because "The Mountie" or "Way of the Yukon" or some similarly Canadian title would have little meaning or frame of reference for American viewers. Having said that, I can see how it being in IMDb's category Westerns could be a bit misleading and probably why other reviewers were disappointed. I wouldn't really drop it into the drama category either.

The cinematography is predictably well done, and given the raw nature of the Canadian Territories there are some great backgrounds. I agree that the lead actor (Walker) really does lay on the Clint Eastwood a bit thick. And unnecessarily so. he could have pulled off the role just as easily and likely more believably in a less strained manner.

As for continuity, I had no problems following the story line. I might question the historical accuracy of opium cultivation (which seems to be implied) in the Yukon, but there definitely was an opium trade. One also has to take into account that the story basically takes place in the middle of nowhere so character interaction is limited to the few people in the camp (its not a town).

I found the writing competent and the story engaging. I often shy away from Canadian movies due to their track record in terms of quality, but I didn't find The Mountie disappointing. It not a masterpiece either, but it is entertaining. The cast was well placed and the performances believable. Some familiar faces with Jessica Pare (who was awesome in "Suck"), Pastko and Buza.

All in all its worth the rental fee, I won't be adding it to my DVD collection, but it was enjoyable enough for me. I give it a 6/10. Just don't expect "Hang "em high".