Palo Pinto Gold (2009)

Director:

Anthony Henslee

Writers:

Anthony Henslee (writer)
Ryan Kidder (writer)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Cuff 'em, Club 'em or Shoot 'em

Plot:

A Texas Ranger turns bad and murders his partner for gold and greed and is hunted down by the son of the man he killed.

Plot Keywords:

Western U.S.

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Trent Willmon	...	Jake Landers
Roy Clark	...	Storyteller #1
Mel Tillis	...	Storyteller #2
Anthony Henslee	...	Ben Crowder
Glynn Praesel	...	Shane Stocksteal
Joanna Goode	...	Kayla MacIntyre
Joaquin Jackson	...	Sheriff Jackson
Bill Hart	...	Grandpa Coy
Steve Schmidt	...	Ira Landers
Mel Ellenwood	...	Capt. John MacIntyre
Kinky Friedman	...	Governor of Texas
Grant Jacobs	...	Stapp
Michael Thurmond	...	Barry
David Karl King	...	Hank (as David King)
Len Early	...	Blacksmith

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some western violence.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Boerne, Texas, USA

Company:

Cottonwood Entertainment

Trivia:

Writer/Producer/Director Anthony Henslee actually grew up on a cattle ranch in Palo Pinto County, Texas.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the scene where the bad guy is shot off the porch by the leading lady, a photographer was actually in the frame. The clip had to be enlarged in size to hide the photographer. The photographer was actually the stuntman's wife.

Overall I was very disappointed in this movie.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

My movie-watching on DVD is a pretty simple exercise. I watch what my public library buys. On one searching session I came across this title, "Palo Pinto Gold." That it is set in the Texas Hill Country (just west of San Antonio) and featuring two old favorite country singers, Roy Clark and Mel Tillis, caught my attention. So, I settled in and watched it.

The first thing I noticed is that this is not a production that would rival any Hollywood western. The actors are not likely anyone you would have heard of (I know I hadn't, except for Clark and Tillis) and what you get are performances you might see in a small town community theater.

The plot is listed right here on IMDb, a lawman in the 1800s turns bad, kills his friend and mentor, and the dead man's son hunts him down when he grows up. Nothing here that hasn't been done before.

The movie is actually told as a flashback of sorts, when a writer shows up in town looking for someone who might be able to tell him how the gunfight really went off years ago. Roy Clark and Mel Tillis are the two old townsmen who tell the story to the writer. Clark and Tillis are the best things about this movie.

I will contrast it with a small movie made some years ago by Robert Rodriguez, called "El Mariachi." That is a fine movie made on a very small budget. Much better than this one.

I would not go so far as to say this movie has no entertainment value, but from this viewer's perspective it has nothing really new here, and the acting and production values fall far short of what I expect when popping in a DVD. I am not happy that I spent the time to view it.