O Duelo

A number of citizens of Mexican origins are disappearing and the bodies, some of them, have been found floating in the Rio Grande. A Mexican general played by Jose Zuniga is threatening to do a Pancho Villa and cross the border as his niece is one of the missing. That prompts the Governor of Texas to dispatch one of his best Texas Rangers, Liam Hemsworth to a remote region to investigate a town called Helena.

A former Confederate colonel Woody Harrelson is a Reverend Jim Jones like character who holds sway there. Hemsworth has his work cut out for them, more than he could ever conceive.

There are certainly elements of The Most Dangerous Game here, but add to that the cult like devotion that Harrelson enjoys. Plus he's making good money for himself and the town of Helena with his most dangerous game. He's opened it up as a business, it's clear that the Mexicans are substitutes for black people as I'm sure the word is out to avoid the area and Mexicans are plentiful across the river.

None of the drama in that original Most Dangerous Game is present here. Harrelson is a compelling figure, Australian Hemsworth is convincing as a Texan.

The whole thing falls way short of a classic and even as a western, most western fans will find this way to weird.

Regrettably, the great genre of film that is the Western struggles mightily in our present time. Most Westerns are now low-budget, like The Duel, but that does not mean that it should be written off (I was pleasantly surprised that the recent release Forsaken was a decent Western). There are some positives in this film, yet negatives are rampant and I will note the primary ones.

This film features a decent cast and an interesting story which involves an investigation surrounding missing people and an occult leader that has come to control the hearts and minds of the people of a small Texas town. However, besides a respectable performance by Liam Hemsworth, the cast is mediocre and forgettable with Woody Harrleson topping the list as being a cliché villain with forgettable, pretentious faux-intellectual dialogue.

The action is average at best, and above all else there is a feeling that the writers or producers wanted to inject their opinion regarding the current treatment of Mexicans (something a reviewer on Roger Ebert's website noted) into a script already bogged down with murder, missing persons, revenge, a husband-wife relationship, a mysterious town, and a religious occult leader. It is subtle. However, it seemed out of place and unnecessary but that does not stop Hollywood from forcing a narrative or agenda into a movie, does it?

Overall, this is a movie that had promise, but sub-par acting and a feeling that it did not know which plot point should receive the most attention weakened the film as a whole. If you like Westerns, you may find it more alluring because of the genre. Nevertheless, it is a one time watch that struggles and does not contribute anything of great worth.

A Texas Ranger , David Kingston (Liam Hemsworth) is assigned by his commandant (William Sadler) to investigate a series of unexplained deaths in a town called Helena where rules tyrannically a fake preacher named Abraham (Woody Harrelson) . There , David is appointed sheriff, then things go wrong.

Pretty good and straightforward western dealing with thought-provoking issues , including thrills , go riding , noisy action , shootouts and lots of violence . Attractive but too slow at times , the movie is redeemed by its great performances , the realistic view of the Old West and by its rich array of charming roles. The two leading men Liam Hemsworth as David Kingston and Woody Harrelson as Abraham are magnificent in the hostile environment which the flick is set in . If you are a fan of the guys, Hemsworth and Harrelson , you'll want to watch this one ; they previously shared scenes in The Hunger Games film franchise. There are still nice scenes to see such as the saloon confrontation in similar style to Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven , the impressive final duel and other sparkling set pieces . It also results to be surprisingly gory along with a handful of violent and breathtaking action scenes . It results to be a thunder stuff with a strong star cast . The actors supporting who accompany the lead roles are fine , mostly acting decently , such as : Alice Braga , Emory Cohen, Felicity Price , William Sadler , Chris Baker , Chris Berry and Raphael Sbarge

It displays colorful and riveting cinematography by Jules O'Loughlin , reflecting wonderfully the landscapes and the little town environment, being heavily filmed in state park Florewood, and Greenwood, Mississippi . Evocative and appropriate musical score by Craig Eastman. The motion picture was finely written by Matt Cook who produced as well and compellingly directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith .The latter is a good actor and director , known for Wish you were here (2012), Animal Kingdom (2010) , Wolf Creek (2016) and he has shot various episodes of notorious TV series . He's married to Felicity Price who in "The duel¨ plays an important role as Noemi . Rating : Good, it's competent enough, a straightforward entertainment that results to be an intriguing story turned into an OK actioner Western. However , this is definitely an adult-oriented flick because of the violence, amount of gore and some profanity language on hand. It's one of the best Western films of the last years. A must see for every enthusiast of a decent action western movie.

Texas Ranger David Kingston (Helmsworth) is sent undercover to a Texas town to investigate why Mexicans are turning up dead.

What you will see: Marisol (Alice Braga), David's wife, insisting she go with David on his undercover mission, bloody hand-to-hand fighting, a variation of The Most Dangerous Game, a town under the grip of Cult Leader Abraham (Harrelson), an unexplained betrayal, a prayer meeting where snakes are handled by everyone, and pure racism.

I was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing another western, but I didn't expect the cruelty. This has to do with a variation of The Most Dangerous Game and you will be as shocked as I was. I am always surprised at some of the really sick things people do to others. There seems to be a tendency for Hollywood to go beyond normal good guy- bad guy plots and this is what we get.

The acting all around is very good, but we didn't expect the script to center around a variation of The Most Dangerous Game. This is where a good western turns into something not so good. And the unexpected betrayal seemed well out of place. (Aren't betrayals always unexpected?)

Notables: William Sadler as Governor Ross; Emory Cohen as Isaac, Abraham's brother; Raphael Sbarge as Dr. Morris; and Sue-Lynn Ansari as the Saloon Woman.

Sad to say, but this is a not for everyone Western. (5/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, some not too often.

Westerns for me is such a distinctive genre as owing to a specific time in history and being rooted in its universal themes that has been explored almost exhaustively.

It's surprising then that one should come along with a kick to the teeth in the guise of a movie that's packaged lightly in terms of visuals and score. The story follows a young ranger and spouse as he has to face a man, who killed his father in a duel in the past, and now reigns supreme in a small town near the Mexican border.

Harrelson is cut out for this role as a man who is on a self-righteous path of carrying out the will of the divine by means of brutality and chances of fate. He is a force to be reckoned with and overshadows all else around him but Hemsworth's Kingston is well versed himself in taking the law into his own hands. Almost too mechanical by way of showing how it's done but believe you me it's a slice of justice being dished out, nothing fancy, and enough to sit you down.

The intrigue of spirituality that leads people on down a dark road is only touched upon as being an inexplicable power that makes few connections with the actual clandestine going ons that has brought the characters at odds with one another. Something as easily abused is often mistaken for something else but no one could possibly deviate from the course when Harrelson's fierce eyes are keeping watch.