Product Details

• Actors: Andrea Camarena-Lindsay, George Cook (II), Sam Elliott, Linda Fiorentino, John Furlong
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Turner Home Ent
• DVD Release Date: May 17, 2005
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007OY2NU
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,204 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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• For more information about "The Desperate Trail" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Though The Desperate Trail is hardly a modern Western, this mixture of frontier adventure and con-man conniving is inflected by the plot twists that have driven the post-Tarantino era of low-budget crime thrillers, at least through the first half of the film. It opens with a stagecoach ride that becomes a thrilling runaway escape from bandits, but the passengers are not what they seem and the films spins into a game of one-upmanship between a pair of slick outlaws thrown together by fate. Craig Sheffer, a con man duded up like an Eastern hick and smiling like a chump, spars with lady outlaw Linda Fiorentino, a tough gunslinger with a gift for bluff, while she eludes driven lawman Sam Elliot, whose passion for justice is personally motivated. Through a series of schemes and ambushes (including a Wild Bunch-inspired free-for-all where the posse hits more civilians than criminals), the bickering duo slowly reveal their secrets as the posse closes in. Elliot is perfectly cast as the hate-filled marshal, whose burning dark eyes and simmering persona are unleashed in his ruthless villain with a personable drawling manner, and director P.J. Pesce stages fine action scenes. If there are no surprises in The Desperate Trail, neither are there any lulls--it's a fun ride right to the satisfying if predictable conclusion. --Sean Axmaker

Product Description

Amiable con man Jack Cooper is on a westbound stagecoach, headed for the next batch of suckers who will mistake him for an easy mark. Fiery Sarah O'Rourke rides the same coach, handcuffed to lawman Bill Speakes and headed for the hangman. In a few hours, all should reach their destinations. But the trail they travel takes an unexpected turn: Cooper and O'Rourke are soon off the stage and running for their lives. The law ends and the chase begins in a very alive tale of wanted-dead-or-alive fugitives (Linda Fiorentino and Craig Sheffer) pursued by a marshal (Sam Elliott) who's a law unto himself.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great original western by TNT, July 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Desperate Trail [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth seeing but don't expect anything special, June 16, 2001

By	MalachiX - See all my reviews

This review is from: Desperate Trail [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars GOOD GRIEF - I MUST HAVE SEEN THE WRONG MOVIE!, June 3, 2005

By	M. Hartmann "abayyan" (Milan, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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!