The Old Way

I like Nicolas Cage. I even managed to forgive him for that god-awful excuse for a southern accent in Con-Air. None of this excuses the fact that he sleepwalked through a film that had decent potential. Cage's brightest moments are in his scenes with Armstrong, but their father-daughter dynamic isn't enough to save the film.

Let me be clear: the blame for The Old Way's shortcomings rests not only on Cage's shoulders, but also on Carl Lucas, for heavy-handed writing and poor character development. Lastly, the cast is decidedly B-level, with the exception of Nick Searcy, who shines as the Marshall, particularly in his scenes with Armstrong.

Most grievous of all is the casting of Noah Le Gros as a wanna-be villain. Every good western has a good villain, and by that standard, The Old Way is decidedly subpar.