Customer Reviews

Desperate Trail [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

TNT seems to be the only source of good quality Westerns these days. This is certainly a good one and worthy of anyone's video library. You'll love the soundtrack, and you'll love some of the sets, and you'll enjoy the original story. On top of that, Sam Elliott is great as a marshal hellbent on justice... or revenge. Buy it or rent it, but be sure and watch it. You won't be disappointed.

This film is just awful. The plot seems to suggest that if your husband abused you, you're entitled to rob a stage and pistol whip any man who abuses women, and if you caused an accident that crippled your brother, you are also entitled to steal money to give your brother what he wants. Linda Florentino plays an abused wife who becomes a gun toting stage robber with a very sarcastic mouth, bad dialog, and a silly looking outfit, and she is the heroine. Craig Sheffer steals money, sleeps with whores, wears a silly looking hat covering a silly haircut, and he is our hero. Sam Elliott looks like he'd rather be somewhere else, and he should have been. All in all, a very poor western.

Desperate Trail is a decent film but nothing really amazing.

The story is fairly strait-forward with nothing truly origional but decent. Unfortunatly the characters could use some work. None are particularly well-developed or interesting. Scheffer and Forientino are both rather flat leaving Eliot with the only strong performance and his character really should have gotten more screen time.

The action sequences are generally well done with a good use of slow motion and editing. What really pumps up the scenes is the excellent soundtrack. They aren't masterfully done but are exciting enough to warrent seeing the movie.

Desperate Trail is a competent western but nothing revolutionary.

I will admit that I bought it for Sam Elliott -- but what a disappointment.
He is great in the character that he portrays, Bill Speakes, a Marshall? He is apparently blinded to the true character of his son.

Sarah O'Rourke, was she married to the Marshall's son? Hot Diggity to the black eyes given to the character on the stage who bullies his wife.

Jack Cooper was a plausible con-man - Did he and she come out of the shoot-out alive?
With Cooper looking out for his brother and generally acting honorable to Sarah, he came out almost decent in character.

Could have done without the poor gal who did the bare top scene - nothing alluring there!
Not one of the better westerns that I have seen. And I know that Sam Elliott has done better. [I hope]

Ah well, don't waste your money on the DVD -- no extras, no intel on the actors and their characters.
See it if you must!

Please all this is far from Sam Elliot's better Westerns. See "The Sacketts', "Conagher", "The Shadow Riders", or "The Quick and the Dead". This is far less a believable Western. Few if any women did what this woman did let alone the whole storlyine reeks of trying to be modern, not authentic. Sorry but no character development in my book does not make a good movie. Not to mention these were not exactly the kind of characters I would want to see developed.

I think it's a little "different" for Sam Elliot to not be the good guy but in this one he is the not-quite-good guy. His character is obsessed, even beyond reason at times.
Regardless, it is the expected strong character Elliot plays so well and even the "bad guys" are not so bad after all.
If you're a Westerns fan, this is an excellent addtion for your collection.

striking and original western with Fiorentino and Sheffer putting in exceptionally fine performances.

great direction.

A woman is on the run from her father in law who blames her for killing his son, refusing to believe her tale that his son was physically abusive and she killed him in self defense. There are moments where the movie drags, but it redeems itself. I like the fact that the woman is good with a gun and knows how to take care of herself. It's not typical Sam Elliot because he plays against his usual type, but it's still a good movie with lots of good action!

I should have paid more attention to the first reviewer. This is a VERY BAD movie. Not only does Sam Elliot (my reason for buying the dvd) play a totally unlikeable character, but there are no redeeming features to this film. This is a very low low budget film. Basically, just two people (who kill without a second thought) running from another group of people (who kill without a second thought). The sound track (no one could call this music) is dreadful and distracting. The person who made it must have had only 5 instrument samples with which to do the "score." Revolting, actually.
Don't buy this film if you like other Sam Elliot movies. I do recommend Conager and The Quick and the Dead.

"The Desperate Trail" is an R-rated straight-to-video Western from 1995 starring Sam Elliott as Marshal Bill Speakes; he wants to bring to the gallows his daughter-in-law, Sarah (Linda Fiorentino), who murdered his son but is blinded to her defense of spousal abuse. In her run from the law Sarah hooks up with a charming conman, Jack Cooper (Craig Sheffer).

[Mild SPOILERS follow, although I don't give away the ending]

POSITIVES:

- I liked the ominous "church bells" soundtrack. It's simple and unique but I didn't find it jarringly incongruous to the Western genre as some apparently did.
- The first act was the best, but the rest of the film was still pretty good. It's a solid Western with a lot of drive and Peckinpah-like gunfights.
- What I liked most was the thought-provoking elements of the story. One theme is the evil of spousal abuse. Not just in reference to what drove Sarah to this "desperate trail," but the guy she pistol-whips for giving his wife a black eye (the wife ultimately leaves him and even Marshal Speakes admits the man deserved it).
- Another theme is the corrupting power of the "Eli Syndrome." Eli was a legitimate chief priest in the Old Testament who spoiled his sons and allowed them to run amok, carnally speaking, in their temple service, which ultimately brought God's judgment and their deaths (1 Samuel 2 & 4). Just so, Bill Speakes was obviously a solid citizen, successful cattle rancher and marshal who spoiled his son. His kin-bias wouldn't allow him to see the other side of the story; it blinded him. Although he WAS a good man and in some ways even a great man this bias was his weakness and successfully corrupted him.
- Another theme is desperation. The film's called "The DESPERATE Trail" for a reason. Sarah was on her way to the gallows and would need the stagecoach money to make a successful escape to freedom. Women had few options outside of marriage or prostitution out West back then; how much more so if you're a wanted fugitive? She was desperate, pure and simple. The guy she pistol-whips deserved it. Sarah didn't try to steal money from the members of the stage so she wasn't a "stage robber" in the conventional sense nor did she rob stages throughout the rest of the film, i.e. for a living; it was a one-time thing. Although she does rob a store for needed supplies, but --again -- she was desperate.

As far as her being the heroine and Jack Cooper the hero, in the sense of Bonnie & Clyde, one of the points of the film is that there is no hero. Everyone's corrupt in one way or another, defiled by "the sins of the father," the father being Marshal Speakes. The exception is Jack, who's simply corrupted by his conman nature and desire to provide for his crippled brother, which is another example of kin-bias. Yet he clearly displays traits of love & loyalty, which Sarah is able to easily pick up on after her experiences with an abusive husband. So, although there are strong amoral aspects to the story, one gets the vibe that a certain person or people may move on to a positve and respectable future, once justice is served and they perhaps find the grace of another shot at life, which is a big IF.

NEGATIVES:

- Sam Elliott, the quintessential Westerner, is his usual laconic self, but he's not the main character, plus his role is atypical since he's not the customary easy-going, likable hero; here he's quiet and respectable until one sees his blind hatred and unwillingness to see anything less than nobility in his son, who he obviously spoiled. This isn't a negative to me; I'm only citing it for those who prefer to see Elliot as the noble star in Westerns.
- As the film progresses it becomes clearer that this is a straight-to-video Western. For instance, the film was shot in New Mexico with very fitting locations for a Western, but they seem minimalistic and bleak. Of course, this may have been the point since they're on "the desperate trail." Another example would be a couple cases of questionable dialogue/acting and the simple soundtrack. Again, I don't personally find this objectionable since I appreciate low-budget movies.

The runtime is 92 minutes.

FINAL WORD: "The Desperate Trail" is a solid Western with a lot of drive and action, plus it has thought-provking themes that are fairly covert and left to the viewer to mine. Although the main characters appear amoral or immoral on the surface the story reveals why they're corrupt and desperate, besides themes of love & justice come into play. However, those who only prefer Elliott in the typical role of the easygoing Western hero should stay away.

GRADE: B