Product Details

• Actors: Billy Bob Thornton, Luke Askew, Dwight Yoakam, Vince Vaughn, Bridget Fonda
• Directors: Dwight Yoakam
• Writers: Dwight Yoakam, Dennis Hackin, Otto Felix, Stan Bertheaud
• Producers: Abe Shainberg, Auri Spigelman, Buck Owens
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Lions Gate
• VHS Release Date: August 21, 2001
• Run Time: 104 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005LQ60
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,493 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars South of Coherence, West of Logic, September 24, 2003

By 

Glenn A. Buttkus (Sumner, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: South of Heaven West of Hell [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Dwight Yoakam, accomplished country/western singer, loves movies. He has appeared, as an actor, in over a dozen films. On this film, Yoakam functioned as writer, co-producer [with Buck Owens], director, star, and of course, he worked on the musical score as well. This would be quite a feat for the most accomplished of movie stars, which Mr. Yoakam is not. He can be very effective as an actor, when directed properly, as in "Sling Blade" and "Panic Room". He is a better actor than Johnny Cash was, or Merle Haggard; certainly as good as the icon known as Willie Nelson.

This film is so bad, it is almost good. It is so different, so off-center, so oblique, that it challenges the audience. The cinematography, by James Glennon, is lush; images bathed in dust and golden light, drenced in blood-red sunsets and shimmering mirage riders, ghost-like apparitions. I think it is admirable that Yoakam had enought influence, enough money, enough good friends, and enough ego to launch this dark confused tale. But, alas, it does not emerge as eclectic as Jim Jarmusch's mini-classic,"Dead Man". We all love a western, and Yoakam can be applauded for purposefully breaking down many of the cliches of the genre. Next time though, sir, please procure blanks for your handguns that do not sound like cap pistols.

The movie has been called self-indulgent, and it is; tedious, even egregious. Actually, what it is remains closer to a labor of love falling leagues short of coherence. It was poorly written. Without strongly defined characters, clear conflicts, and fully-realized conclusions, we struggle as viewers. At times, the film becomes too esoteric; like Dennis Hopper's "The Last Movie", one suspects the cast had fun doing it, but where's the fun in watching it ? No one wants a film to fail. We search for those tiny nanoseconds that elevate, entertain, and enlighten us.

The movie is populated by bizarre characters portrayed by a bevy of terrific actors. Yoakam, as U.S.Marshall, Val Casey, is at ease in front of the camera; but Val comes off as shallow posturing. Where is the anger, inner strength, and passion ?
Several times in the semblence of a plot it is mentioned that an official government letter exists, and in it is the information that Valentine Casey was deceased; that he had died in Cuba in the Spanish-American war. When confronted with this conundrum, Val just stares wistfully toward the horizon. So, as an undercurrent, we wonder if Val is really an avenging spirit, or if the whole movie represents a nightmarish dream ?

Joe Unger, as the outlaw Nogales, makes a strong impression, finding a real person within the absurdity of the script. Billy Bob Thornton, Peter Fonda, Matt Clark, and Bo Hopkins, sleepwalk through their brief scenes, lending their visage and names to the project. Bridget Fonda, as Adelyne, is credible, considering her character is written incoherently. The Henry Clan are the heavies. They are led by Luke Askew, astride a primitive wheel chair, spouted biblical platitudes, manning a machine gun mounted on his wagon, and finding time to bugger his daughter. Vince Vaughn cuts a wide swath as Taylor Henry, the most lethel of the bunch; killing without remorse, ice-blooded and stone-faced. Comic relief is provided with the bawdy flavor of Shakespeare; down, dirty, and bloody. Bud Cort is dipped in [foul stuff], stripped, humiliated, beaten, and shot. Paul Reubens, as Arvid Henry, seethes like a [unique] gunslinger, bouncing about like a Marx brother; murdering, [abusing], stealing,... Michael Jeter, as the uncle, gets to whine, beg, howl, cajole, and [be abused],... Terry McIlvain, as Val's sidekick, U.S.Christmas, is costumed in a colorful skirt, like a South American gaucho, and he makes the most out of his screen time.

...this one could become a cult classic.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your Grandpa's western!, August 25, 2001

By A Customer

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This review is from: South of Heaven, West of Hell (DVD)

Some of the other reviewers apparently expected a mainstream Western, but this film is actually a wild, funny deconstruction of the classic icons of American Westerns, that pays visual and thematic homage to familiar, great Westerns, while simultaneously dissecting such icons by taking them to a deliberately absurd (and frequently hilarious) extreme. The film is accompanied by an informative audio commentary by the director, one of the producers, the DP, and the film's editor (I give the film 4 stars, and the 5th star is for the commentary). I would call this film a "meta-Western," more about the genre and its archetypes than anything else. Luke Askew and Bo Hopkins, familiar faces from other, far less adventurous Westerns, give superb performances, as do Paul Reubens (playing WAY against his Pee Wee Herman type!), Vince Vaughn (a truly menacing psychopath), and Bud Cort (an effete government official). A young, first-time actress named Flecia Beard gives a strong performance in the small role of a deaf-mute child traumatized by a father who cannot accept her handicap. Bridget Fonda gives a nice performance, and her character definitely modernizes the "damsel in distress" stereotype by taking matters into her own, quite capable hands when she is menaced. John Wayne's love interests definitely never defended themselves the way Addie does! Overall, this film is a mostly successful, thought-provoking combination of the surreal (some of the characters may or may not be dead) and the realistic (most of the shots fired miss their mark by a country mile). It's beautifully photographed (by the son of the cinematographer of many classic Westerns, as the audio commentary informs us), and the score is excellent, including one track co-written by Dwight Yoakam and Mick Jagger. There are some rough edges (the commentary points out some minor continuity errors that you probably wouldn't otherwise notice). But kudos to Yoakam for achieving success under extreme financial and time pressures (as he explains in the commentary) and especially for assuming that his audience is as least as smart as he is. It might help to have taken a graduate seminar in film history and/or semiotics before you see it -- and have a finely honed sense of irony -- but SOHWOH is a wild trip through the old West that is very entertaining. You'll either "get" this film or you won't. If you do "get" it, I think you'll find it vastly enjoyable. I hope that Yoakam doesn't get discouraged by the less than appreciative reception that this film seems to be getting, because he does seem to have something to contribute to American cinema.

22 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dwight and friends make a real western, October 20, 2001

By 

Gordon Arkell "g$" (Santa Barbara, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: South of Heaven, West of Hell (DVD)

The more I see this flick, the more I love it. At first viewing this DVD, I thought it started off pretty dull and slow, but then things picked up when I realized the film's characters are supposed to be quirky and odd. I loved the unpretentiousness of the writing and acting. No stupid predictable Hollywood lines or situations in this film. GREAT!

Being Dwight's first Director job (and not knowing anything else about Mr. Yoakam) I think it's a minor masterpiece. I do wish he'd have cast someone else as his character and concentrated on directing only. All the actors were outstanding. Can't say enough about them. Truly a pleasure to watch them in action. I also dug those wild rags!

This movie gave me the western flick bug. I rented other westerns thereafter. Well-known and recent ones, including a God-awful remake of High Noon with Tom Skerritt and Michael Madsen. I love this little gem the most. I intend to buy it. Already own the soundtrack CD.

Can't wait until Dwight's next effort.