This may be a modest film, but it has star power that can't be denied in Bill Pullman's performance as the grizzled Lefty Brown. The Montana pre-railroad locale is presented well here for a town that is on the cusp of a major shift. Peter Fonda plays prominent rancher Edward Johnson who is of belief that things should change slow and deliberate. Governor Bierce played by Jim Caviezel is a supposed ally who has much the opposite view in that he has secretly put in place a plan to usurp the incoming Senator Edward Johnson by a murderous plot. There's only one thing in between the governor's plan which is Johnson's life-long riding and ranching companion Lefty Brown. Brown is seen as a past his shelf-life half-wit to which the governor sorely underestimates. This is a about a time when the only thing that can come between unscrupulous power and morality is loyalty. That is the one thing Lefty Brown possesses in spades. He's a shell of the man he once was physically, but his loyalty and moral compass is fully intact. It propels him to seek justice at all costs. This story may be a bit hackneyed and quite simple, but it doesn't try to be epic and in that it hits a sweet spot. Pullman's performance is such that it carries the humbleness into something much better. If you long for a decent western in today's bombastic super hero movie world then look no further. This is a wholly respectable modern western with nods to so much that keep the genre beloved.
Review of The Ballad of Lefty Brown
