The story had one of the more original opening scenes for a Western that I've come across; the idea of a female outlaw being brought to justice doesn't get much treatment in the genre. This one's a bit different too for Sam Elliott fans; even though his character is Marshal Bill Speakes, his demeanor gradually changes over the course of the film from a tough minded lawman to a vengeance seeking killer. At times he even has the caricature look of an outlaw with that bushy white mustache. In any event, it's hard to warm up to his character once the bullets start flying.
His quarry throughout the picture is daughter-in-law Sarah O'Rourke (Linda Fiorentino), who teams up with itinerant hustler Jack Cooper (Craig Sheffer) after a stage hold up that opens the story. One might have reason to suspect that the outlaw gang was trying to get Miss O'Rourke released from the marshal's custody, but that was just a smokescreen for the real story. The widow Sarah was once married to Speakes' own son, who's abuse of his wife offered few alternatives. So she shot him, thereby engaging the marshal in a personal mission.
The advantage see-saws it's way throughout the film after Speakes recaptures Sarah, leading up to a nasty gunfight that leaves an innocent rancher dead in the middle of town. By this time, Jack reunites with his crippled brother Walter (Frank Whaley) who has a penchant for admiring the night sky. It seemed a bit ironic to me that Jack got so upset with the big hole in the barn roof when there were literally hundreds more between the slats of the ceiling. He probably should have considered Walter's self medication with garlic and kerosene; that would have affected anyone's judgment.
With two disaffected parties going up against each other, I'd guess most viewers' sympathies would rest with Sarah and Jake; Miss O'Rourke nailed it when she stated that her slimy husband 'was just like his daddy'. In almost as creative an ending as the picture's opening, the marshal gets gunned down by two fingers on the trigger of Jake Cooper's firearm. It's not one's traditional happy ending for a Western film, as the ride off into the sunset probably offered as many questions as answers.
His quarry throughout the picture is daughter-in-law Sarah O'Rourke (Linda Fiorentino), who teams up with itinerant hustler Jack Cooper (Craig Sheffer) after a stage hold up that opens the story. One might have reason to suspect that the outlaw gang was trying to get Miss O'Rourke released from the marshal's custody, but that was just a smokescreen for the real story. The widow Sarah was once married to Speakes' own son, who's abuse of his wife offered few alternatives. So she shot him, thereby engaging the marshal in a personal mission.
The advantage see-saws it's way throughout the film after Speakes recaptures Sarah, leading up to a nasty gunfight that leaves an innocent rancher dead in the middle of town. By this time, Jack reunites with his crippled brother Walter (Frank Whaley) who has a penchant for admiring the night sky. It seemed a bit ironic to me that Jack got so upset with the big hole in the barn roof when there were literally hundreds more between the slats of the ceiling. He probably should have considered Walter's self medication with garlic and kerosene; that would have affected anyone's judgment.
With two disaffected parties going up against each other, I'd guess most viewers' sympathies would rest with Sarah and Jake; Miss O'Rourke nailed it when she stated that her slimy husband 'was just like his daddy'. In almost as creative an ending as the picture's opening, the marshal gets gunned down by two fingers on the trigger of Jake Cooper's firearm. It's not one's traditional happy ending for a Western film, as the ride off into the sunset probably offered as many questions as answers.