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Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Demi Moore, Donald Sutherland
In 1872, John Henry Clayton (Kiefer Sutherland) retires as a gunfighter and returns to his hometown of Fowler, Wyoming in hope of repairing his relationship with his estranged father, Reverend Clayton (Donald Sutherland). However, he soon learns that the town is in turmoil, as the railroad will be coming through the area and a criminal gang is terrorizing ranchers who refuse to sell their land. John Henry is the only one who can stop them, but his father does not want his son to return to a life of violence.
"Forsaken" is set in 1872, it tells the story of John Henry Clayton, a gunfighter with a past that travels home to Fowler, Wyoming. His mother passed away while John was gone and his Reverend father does not let him live it down. He promised to return home after the war but for some reason he never did. All he wants to do now is hang up his guns and live a peaceful life on his parent's land and try to rebuild his relationship with his father but when he finds out that there is a railroad coming through the town and a group of ruthless criminals are threatening the locals into selling their land he has to decide on turning a blind eye or doing the right thing.
"Forsaken" is a good old fashion western about a gunfighter who wants to hang up his guns and live out his live in peace but the forces at play might not let that happen. This isn't the best western you will ever see but I thought it was an entertaining one. If I had one complaint, it would be the climax of the film which I thought was rushed a bit. Other than that it was a very entertaining and well-acted film. Kiefer Sutherland is fantastic as John Henry, he of course handled the action scenes very well but it was the dramatic scenes and his portrayal of a man with a haunted past that impressed me the most, this is one of finest performances of his career. Donald Sutherland doesn't have a meaty role as his father but he too is excellent and the two of them are terrific together. It is hard to believe that they have never been in a movie together until now. The entire supporting cast all did a great job as well including Demi Moore as John's old flame and the always amazing Brian Cox as the bad guy looking to take over all the land legally or otherwise.
Production wise the film looks and sounds fantastic and the locations, costumes and everything else about the film were top notch as well. Like I already stated this isn't the best western ever made and it doesn't break any new ground but it is a classic western that I highly enjoyed and recommend to any and all fans of the genre. It is worth checking out for the performances alone. Available now on DVD and Blu-ray with Special Features that include:
Making Of
You can order the DVD HERE and the Blu-ray HERE.
Released by Entertainment One
*** 1/2 Out Of *****