O rapto

As an enormous fan of Westerns and a New Zealander, I was so excited to watch this film - having now seen it I'm left with nothing but disappointment. I'll run you through a quick pros and cons list

Pros

• Beautiful scenery
• Interesting and under-explored setting

Cons

• Predictable plot
• Idiotic characters
• Several poor actors
• Weak third act
• Little to no character development in anybody other than the protagonist.

This film feels like it's building to something that never comes. I had enormous hopes and probably a pretty large bias towards the film from the beginning, but it still failed to even entertain me. 4 stars

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.

Here we have another clichéd and very unimpressive attempt at what could've been a strong, memorable revenge tale. Since the first few scenes and spoken lines of dialogue I knew just how uninteresting and predictably bland this film was going to be. Although the writing of the script is highly questionable I think the story should have been considered better as a soap opera. Alice Eve delivers an unconvincing yet borderline-acceptable performance. The acting overall is evidently deficient and it becomes distracting after a while. The climax leaves you unmoved and careless after a lot of weak acting and predictable plot points. On the other hand the cinematography and landscape shots are pretty nice as you would expect in any 'western' flick. The musical score is alright for the most part but at times it feels a bit out of place. Camerawork and editing are pretty average and acceptable. Production design is suitable although some of the sets look clearly unfinished and hurriedly made. All in all not recommended, do not waste your time in this. Go watch a real american western instead.

There could be quite a few exciting and interesting films set in NZ during this time period and earlier but they don't seem to be getting made and this TV movie with it's complete lack of reality does not cut it.

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 .