Room At The Asylum For ...

6 Guns

(2010/USA)

‘‘I don’t need to learn how to draw, I need to learn how to kill a man’’

The Asylum sign up the descendents of Dick Van Dyke’s family tree for a Fun Western. One that is far from being a ‘B’ movie bashers pretty shitty bang bang feature, to be mocked like grand daddy Dick’s Cockney accent from Mary Poppins (1964), but rather a good old fashioned styled Fifties / Sixties cowboy flick.
A tranquil opening, featuring retired sharp shooter sheriff Will Stevens and his young wife Selina (Sage Mears) along with their two sons, turns violent when five horsemen ride up to their humble homestead. Wanted criminal Lee Horn has come calling, bringing with him four gunmen also with a price on their heads. Horn has a grudge against the former sheriff, as Will Stevens killed his father in the act of doing his duty. Revenge for the death of his father is what Horn seeks, and on this day he sets about his vengeance with cold hearted prejudice. Shooting the unarmed Will several times, he is left clinging to life with his final vision being the callous killing of his two sons, and the multiple raping of his wife at the hands of Horn and his obedient henchmen.
Revenge for the death of his father is what Horn seeks, and on this day he sets about his vengeance with cold hearted prejudice. Shooting the unarmed Will several times, he is left clinging to life with his final vision being the callous killing of his two sons, and the multiple raping of his wife at the hands of Horn and his obedient henchmen. His despicable deed of retribution fulfilled Lee Horn departs with a smirk of satisfaction upon his face. He leaves behind two of his men to finish off with Will’s wife Selina, ordering them to kill her when done. A guilt ridden conscience within the designated killer sidekick leaves him firing a shot wide of his intended target, the sound signalling to Horn that his business is closed, oblivious to the fact that Selina is left alive !.
Several days on a highly skilled bounty hunter rides into the town of Brisbee. Frank Allison (Barry Van Dyke) has a saddle side pouch full of most wanted posters, and amongst them are those of Lee Horn and his gang. Allison helps out a forlorn and drunken Selina, taunted in the main through street by a couple of unsympathetic goofballs, as she stumbles into town for her weekly supplies of food and drink. She is a woman alone and spending her days of sorrow looking at the bottom of a bottle.
Frank strolls on into sheriff Barr’s (Greg Evigan) jail house to announce his arrival in town, and to say howdy to the man he has known for a while. Sheriff Barr is pleased to see him, stating as he always does that things are a lot quieter when Frank Allison is around. Frank makes it known that he is aware that Horn and his men have been seen in the region. Before the conversation can continue Selina makes an entrance and pleads with Frank to teach her how to shoot a gun. Frank is respectful but declines, advising Selina to clean herself up.
The following day Selina turns up in town again and pays Frank a visit at the saloon where he has taken a room. She has started the day free from the booze, and is smartly attired to show her intent to a man that gave her good advice. Selina is intent on learning how to use a fire arm, and pursues Frank Allison to show her how. A day or so ride from Brisbee Lee Horn and his men are stopped by a small posse headed up by deputies. The encounter is brief as Horn out draws and out manoeuvres the lawmen. As well as taking their lives he learns of the wellbeing of Selina Stevens and is not at all happy. Rather than head off across the border to evade further lawful persecution he and his four cohorts set trail back to Brisbee, to finish the job and kill Selina.
Time and lack of experience is against Selina, but with the hands on tutelage of a highly skilled bounty hunter in Frank Allison, and the bitter fortitude of a resilient woman, she picks up a gun and takes head how to use it.
Frank develops a healthy respect for Selina and with his guidance she quickly learns the basics. With such an impossibly short period of time to master the gun Selina must more readily rely upon her focused anger, in order to strike back at those responsible for the cold blooded murder of her family. When the time comes to face up to her demons, Selina’s finger on the trigger does not falter.
The Asylum’s foray into the western genre is a sound enough effort. The look and texture of the film has that old burned brown photographic texture to it, reminiscent of the time period it is based within. All the players do well with their characters, in particularly Barry Van Dyke who has perfectly captured the grizzled look of a seasoned professional gunman. His performance as Frank Allison is very evocative of the Sergio Leone school of cowboy, sparing in his use of words, yet delivering intent with the look in his eyes. Selina and Frank are inherently total opposites, her natural instinct to be a loving wife and caring mother, whereas Frank is a lone wandering figure never far from trouble. Their conflicting backgrounds bring them together with the common goal of standing up for what is right. This then sets the scene for the movie that may well be described as ‘Little House On The Payback Prairie’. To enjoy 6 Guns is to accept it as a well intentioned TV movie, harkening back to a time when cowboys and home television were all the ‘Range’. Undertake the journey to conclusion and the ending will not disappoint. Lee Horn and his men get what is duly coming to them, but at what final cost to Selina and Frank !?.
This may not be on your Most Wanted list but for just a few dollars its worth a shot at renting, and definitely wont leave you saddle sore when it hits the television circuit.

Movie Rating: 5/10

Review Paul Cooke / Source US NTSC DVD

6 Guns (2010)
Director Shane Van Dyke
With Sage Mears, Barry Van Dyke,
Geoff Meed, Anya Benton, Greg Evigan,
Jason Ellefson & Valerie K. Garcia