Ned Blessing (Daniel Baldwin) sits in his jail cell. As he awaits execution, he writes the story of his life, about how he was kidnapped as a child by Mexican bandits, lost the love of his life twice, and began the road that led him to the gallows.
Most of the time this made-for-television movie is delightful. Luis Avalos gives an incredible performance as a cook/mystic, also imprisoned by the bandits, who becomes young Ned Blessing's surrogate father and mentor. He's a joy to watch, as is Miguel Sandoval, who plays the sadistic leader of the pack.
There's great character actors throughout, including Chris Cooper, Jeff Kober, Rene Auberjonois, Bob Gunton, and M.C. Gainey.
However, all the fun is ruined by the dark, unsatisfying final act and abrupt ending, making this seem like only the first half of a mini-series and leaving many of the various subplots very much open-ended.
I seriously hope that the short-lived TV series and other related Ned Blessing projects clear things up a bit, otherwise this is not recommended!
Most of the time this made-for-television movie is delightful. Luis Avalos gives an incredible performance as a cook/mystic, also imprisoned by the bandits, who becomes young Ned Blessing's surrogate father and mentor. He's a joy to watch, as is Miguel Sandoval, who plays the sadistic leader of the pack.
There's great character actors throughout, including Chris Cooper, Jeff Kober, Rene Auberjonois, Bob Gunton, and M.C. Gainey.
However, all the fun is ruined by the dark, unsatisfying final act and abrupt ending, making this seem like only the first half of a mini-series and leaving many of the various subplots very much open-ended.
I seriously hope that the short-lived TV series and other related Ned Blessing projects clear things up a bit, otherwise this is not recommended!