How long can you wait for justice? After being appointed Circuit Judge, John Goodnight (Perry) travels the territory dispensing justice. After returning to a town that brings back memories of his parents murders, he sees someone who looks familiar. After seeing the last two TV westerns (Doc West & Triggerman) I was not expecting much from this one. Although this was nowhere near the caliber of "Tombstone" or "Open Range", this was actually a pretty good western. It is pretty cheesy in some parts and the acting is lacking, but it will keep you entertained and watching. Unlike the "Doc West" series this one will hold your attention and you won't forget what you are watching as you are watching it. The quality of westerns lately has dropped off a lot, this one stands above many of the new ones. Not great, but much better then the latest offerings. I give it a B-. Would I watch again? - I don't think I would.
8 Reviews
Actually, a very pleasant surprise
rawiri4217 September 2013
Goodnight for Justice was a very pleasant surprise. The title had me guessing and I have to admit that I never even thought that Goodnight was the lead character's name! However, that was cleared up in the first few seconds of the movie and then I was able to get on with enjoying it on it's own merits.
I hadn't heard of any of the actors - which tended to put me in a frame-of-mind where I didn't expect anything outstanding. And therein, I believe, lies the answer to why this was so enjoyable. Luke Perry as Judge Goodnight was very good and so was Lara Gilchrist. He came across exactly as I would have expected a man with his history and I even felt that Lara inserted a little light humour into what was definitely not a comedy. Canadian Ron Lea also did well as the bad guy (Reed) in making me hate him.
As with your typical western, the good guy wins in the end and there weren't any major surprises but it was a really pleasant way to pass a rainy afternoon. I would imagine that, had John Goodnight been played by George Clooney or Nicolas Cage and Kate Ramsey by Sandra Bullock or even Angelina Jolie, this movie would have scored at least 2 points higher on the IMDb charts and it's a shame that, when a film has a no- name cast, it seems to be automatically marked down.
The ending leaves the scene wide open for sequels and I see that there is one so I'll look forward to seeing it. Well worth the time.
I hadn't heard of any of the actors - which tended to put me in a frame-of-mind where I didn't expect anything outstanding. And therein, I believe, lies the answer to why this was so enjoyable. Luke Perry as Judge Goodnight was very good and so was Lara Gilchrist. He came across exactly as I would have expected a man with his history and I even felt that Lara inserted a little light humour into what was definitely not a comedy. Canadian Ron Lea also did well as the bad guy (Reed) in making me hate him.
As with your typical western, the good guy wins in the end and there weren't any major surprises but it was a really pleasant way to pass a rainy afternoon. I would imagine that, had John Goodnight been played by George Clooney or Nicolas Cage and Kate Ramsey by Sandra Bullock or even Angelina Jolie, this movie would have scored at least 2 points higher on the IMDb charts and it's a shame that, when a film has a no- name cast, it seems to be automatically marked down.
The ending leaves the scene wide open for sequels and I see that there is one so I'll look forward to seeing it. Well worth the time.
Luke Perry opens court and dispenses justice
bkoganbing31 May 2013
Luke Perry saddles up as frontier circuit judge John Goodnight in the first of three films starring Perry as a Roy Bean type judge. Unlike the fictional Bean, Perry's a real lawyer and not a judge because he's got deputies to back up his ruling. What he does have is a passion for justice and will go the extra mile for it.
The film segments into three stories, the first is a prologue showing Perry's character as a youth played by Sam Duke seeing his family massacred in an outlaw raid.
We next see Perry's character unable to dispense justice to a young black kid whose father was hung by nightriders wearing bedsheets like the Ku Klux Klan. Perry does some extralegal work there however.
Finally Perry returns to the town where his folks were killed and takes on a gang that rides for the owner of the local Ponderosa who is going out of his way to persecute Cheyenne Indians. Again the object is justice and Perry has a way of brushing aside troublesome technicalities.
I like Perry's character and hope he does more John Goodnight films in the future.
The film segments into three stories, the first is a prologue showing Perry's character as a youth played by Sam Duke seeing his family massacred in an outlaw raid.
We next see Perry's character unable to dispense justice to a young black kid whose father was hung by nightriders wearing bedsheets like the Ku Klux Klan. Perry does some extralegal work there however.
Finally Perry returns to the town where his folks were killed and takes on a gang that rides for the owner of the local Ponderosa who is going out of his way to persecute Cheyenne Indians. Again the object is justice and Perry has a way of brushing aside troublesome technicalities.
I like Perry's character and hope he does more John Goodnight films in the future.
Not deep but not bad
dmstokes7321 April 2011
A fast living city lawyer gets press ganged into being the Circuit Judge in the backwater State he originated from. This brings the opportunity to search for the killer of his family.
Not a profound or deep movie I felt there was a lot of opportunity missed in the development of some characters and situations. It seemed the director could not work out what the main point of the movie was, John Goodnight finding himself through representing law in tiny rural communities or the quest to avenge the death of his family. The result is a slightly disconnect piece where it does not run smoothly.
Lara Gilchrist puts in a respectable performance as the female lead in the second half and Luke Perry does a reasonable lead. It is a lightweight Western which will appeal to fans of the genre but probably not excite wider audiences. Worth watching but not destined to become anything beyond an unmemorable Saturday night in.
Not a profound or deep movie I felt there was a lot of opportunity missed in the development of some characters and situations. It seemed the director could not work out what the main point of the movie was, John Goodnight finding himself through representing law in tiny rural communities or the quest to avenge the death of his family. The result is a slightly disconnect piece where it does not run smoothly.
Lara Gilchrist puts in a respectable performance as the female lead in the second half and Luke Perry does a reasonable lead. It is a lightweight Western which will appeal to fans of the genre but probably not excite wider audiences. Worth watching but not destined to become anything beyond an unmemorable Saturday night in.
Goodnight For Justice-The Way Cowboys Used to Be Made ***1/2
edwagreen12 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I'm old fashioned, particularly when it comes to cowboy films and the old films. Give me Hoppy, Roy Rogers and I was content. "Goodnight for Justice" is the way they used to make old-fashioned cowboy films. Justifiable revenge, meeting the new girl, a town controlled by a horrible person, and some surprises which usually interfered with romance all occur in this interesting film. Justice and the law are interwoven here and the results are quite good.
The ending is exactly the way they did it in the 1950s. We even observe the usual prejudice directed towards Indians and the latter getting the last word.
The ending is exactly the way they did it in the 1950s. We even observe the usual prejudice directed towards Indians and the latter getting the last word.
Brilliant
sideshowsuzy-866-824249 October 2014
I cannot be more surprised at how good the Judge John Goodnight films are. Every one is a fabulous surprise at how well they are done and how absorbed I got in the film. I'm not a fan of Westerns to be honest, apart from the Good the Bad and the Ugly that type of thing as every movie buff knows they are essential viewing. For a start I love the fact that Luke Perry shows no vanity whatsover being true to his character plus the hats (they used to wear bowlers more than stetsons!) little things like that are accurate and you get a sense of how tough it was to live in these days, going from town to town sleeping rough, the whole thing is engrossing. I still have one to look forward the third one which if it's as good as the first two I'm in for a treat. I think these film are wasted on UK Channel 5 in the afternoon, they'd hold up well at night as well and I for one would get the popcorn and pop in and look forward to seeing it with friends in the evening. Great stuff from 902 blahblah boys, they should be proud, and Luke your scruffy beard and laugh lines make you sexy as hell compared to Hollywoods swollen faced stars. Has anyone else notice Nick Cage lately. All of them who have 'work' done look like their faces are too big for their heads. Very strange enjoy your wrinkles, laugh lines, marks of honour and of living instead of botoxing the crap out of it. I know what I find sexy and it ain't fish lips Mickey it's ain't fish lips.
If you are a Luke Perry fan, watch this, SO ADORABLE!
ciar20623 July 2019
I'm not into Westerns at all. I like Hallmark movies and I like Luke Perry (however never saw 90210!) so on the exercise bike today I thought I would try this one - 1.5 hours later, still peddling, feeling the love for Luke. Justice Goodnight is the main character and a well, pretty good guy with an edge. Luke towers in talent and interest over all the other actors and the characters. There are two other "Justice Goodnight" movies that follow up on this one. Mr. Perry developed the "Goodnight" character, so wishing he was still with us to film more, but we are lucky to have these.
The so-called New Western.....
rightwingisevil16 April 2011
always got an Achilles' ankle, i.e., the lukewarm loose screenplay that just don't count too much. And worse yet, anything from the Hallmark also inevitably hallmarked with lukewarm script, bad dialogs, not-so-good actors, so-so directing and so on. "Goodnight For Justice (2011)" is of course, no exception. What we got here is a so-so storyline with not quite believable characters who always look more modern and also giving a church-going like atmosphere that simply not quite convincing to me almost every time. I cannot qualify this movie as a good "New Western" but a bad one if compares it with "Silverado", "The Unforgiven", "The Quick & The Dead"...those, well, should be categorized as "New Western". Every time I saw a "Hallmark" movie, I got the same unconvincing feeling, no matter it's a romance or not.
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