6 Guns

Sage Mears is a very attractive actress. One would think she might get better roles. She is really the only one worth mention in this straight- to-video western. With the exception of 3:10 to Yuma, I didn't even know anyone way still making westerns, but here we are.

There isn't a lot of great acting here, but how many westerns feature acting giants. It's the action you come for. There isn't a whole lot of that, either.

It's a revenge movie. The bad guy (Geoff Meed) kills her husband (Brian Wimmer) and two sons and his gang rapes her. She becomes the town drunk until the bounty hunter (Barry Van Dyke) arrives in town.

What happens next is not entirely believable, but it makes for a fairly good story. I can't say as much for the very end. That goes off into fantasy land.

Really. What did you expect for a buck at Redbox? OK. So maybe Sage Mears might have shown more emotion after losing a nail than she showed after her family was massacred before her very eyes. But aren't most westerns a bit comical looking? It was a bit refreshing to watch a flick with no vampires or thumbscrews. The acting? It was decent. The story. Sure. Totally unoriginal. But Barry van Dyke pulled off the role of the reclusive moody aging gunslinger and the baddies were downright unlikeable. Please. Those who play the "worst movie ever" card too frequently will find the rest of us tuning you out. Lighten up and enjoy a simple story cheaply made.

The Asylum have made the odd halfway decent movie, though their best don't rise beyond that. Most of their resume is either very bad or bottom-of-the-barrel stuff. Luckily for 6 Guns it is one of their more tolerable outings. It is less than perfect though. There are stretches throughout the movie where it is too slowly paced, and unfortunately in those moments there is not much happening to disguise that problem. When the action it was good and brutal, there was just too little of it and when it wasn't there that was when the film started to drag. Sage Mears has a sort of sweet and sour role that requires many emotions, but while she is beautiful she doesn't convince as a vengeful woman, she is rather emotionless with no fire behind the eyes and even when she is raped people who have lost any kind of sporting round have shown much more emotion. It is not without its anachronisms(the use of the term crack-pot really jarred with the period) and outside of the heroes and villains the characters are one-dimensional with not that much development to them.

On the plus side, 6 Guns is one of The Asylum's better looking movies, the photography is not choppy and the sets look great with a much cleaner look. The soundtrack I really liked too, the criticisms that it is too modern is valid but whether it's memorable and gives the sense of adventure and danger matters even more, the score for 6 Guns does fit those qualities. The script is certainly tighter and less cheesy than usual and it also deserves credit for sticking true to the western theme. It isn't best screenplay quality but for The Asylum it is a step up. The story is not particularly original, but there is some strong tension, and the first 20 minutes is harrowing, unnerving and actually very difficult to look away. Aside from Mears, the acting is quite good. Barry Van Dyke does grizzled and stoic quite well, Geoff Meed is ruthlessly snarky and menacing and Greg Evigan plays admirable and stern endearingly. Even Shane Van Dyke is tolerable, and I don't rate him highly as an actor at all, and directing-wise this is far more assured and competent than Titanic II and Paranormal Entity. All in all, not that bad, for The Asylum it is one of their better efforts definitely. 6/10 Bethany Cox

RELEASED TO VIDEO IN 2010 directed by Shane Van Dyke (Dick's grandson), "6 Guns" stars Barry Van Dyke (Dick's son) in a Shane-like role. The plot is pretty typical for Westerns: A band of outlaws murder & rape a family, but the wife (Sage Mears) survives and, after overcoming her disillusionment, wants justice. She eventually enlists the services of a taciturn bounty hunter (Barry Van Dyke) to teach her how to shoot. Meanwhile the outlaws are on the prowl.

"6 Guns" is a quasi-remake of Raquel Welch's "Hannie Caulder" from almost forty years prior, but lacks that one's comical edge. There are some obvious elements of other Westerns, like "The Bravados" (1958) and "Pale Rider" (1985), but what else is new?

Barry is notable as the laconic bounty hunter as he fits the role of the rugged loner to a 'T.' He's akin to Eastwood in the Leone trilogy, but is an actual human character rather than caricature. Geoff Meed chews up the scenery as the main villain with gusto; it's obvious why his men fear him. Mears is quite good as the female protagonist, convincing and winning the viewer's sympathy, while Erin Marie Hogan stands out as the ravishing brunette saloon babe, Scarlet.

The vibe is nicely realistic and the locations smack of harsh Western authenticity. All of this is topped off by a great score by Chris Ridenhour, which definitely perks the movie up and gives it class. In fact, the movie's worth watching just for the score.

I'm only giving "6 Guns" 6.5/10 Stars because, even though it's a solid Western, it's also low-budget and kind of standard. If I gave it a higher grade people might expect something better than what it is. Still, if you like an occasional Western this one's worthwhile.

I was surprised to discover that this was made by The Asylum, a film company notorious for releasing cheap knockoffs of major releases to steal some of their thunder. The Asylum has certainly put out some cartoony dreck (e.g. "30,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Mega Piranha"), but they can also surprise you with some worthy low-budget stuff (e.g. "The Land That Time Forgot" and "Grimm's Snow White"). "6 Guns" ranks with the latter.

THE MOVIE RUNS 95 minutes was shot in California (Spahn Ranch, Chatsworth; Paramount Ranch, Agoura; and Snegoff Ranch, Topenga Canyon). It's rated 'R' for the brutal murder/rape scene.

GRADE: B- (6.5/10)

A through and through western revenge drama. Being filmed in 2010 do we expect more than we do from a classic like Hang 'Em High? Yes we do, and the film is lacking Clint Eastwood. Nonetheless taken at face value it's an hour and 30 minutes of overwrought entertainment.

The woman protagonist who's family has been murdered, of course learns gun craft in less than the time it takes to bake a cake.

Nice 20th century coins in the poker scene, BTW. The sheriff is a decent actor and gives the movie a bit of character, the bounty hunter is a stern father figure but is reaching. Almost all else is stilted and seems forced to a greater or lesser extent. Anyway, "bottles don't shoot back"..