A Marshall brings a wanted man to a small western town where the local sheriff and a mysterious gunslinger end up having to help as the man’s gang come to free him.
Written by Craig Hamann and Alexander Nevsky with Joe Cornet directing the film is a vehicle for Nevsky to star and a fun one at that. Gunfight at Rio Bravo is based on true events with a few names being those of people who have been a part of US history. Here, the story is a fictionalized version of events that could have transpired but have not been recorded into history. Basically, this is a historical fiction action film made to have some fun with a mix of real and made-up characters thrown into an adventure set in the wild West. The story here is fun and entertaining, exactly what is expected here. The story sets itself up for a proper gunfight and some serious action scenes and it’s exactly what it delivers. This is of course done within a more mid-range budget, but also proves that you do not need billions to make things work.
The cast is led by Nevsky and he does what his fans have come to expect. He comes in, has some fun, shoots some people, and becomes the hero. Nevsky has become a solid option for fun action and this fits the bill exactly. His work is good and functional, giving the film what it needs, shining in some scenes and giving space for the other cast members in others. Being brought in for smaller, but impactful roles are Oliver Gruner who is always enjoyable to watch kick some behinds and Matthias Hues who gets to wait for a bit before he’s allowed to have some fun. The two of them are fun additions here for action film fans of the 1980s and 1990s. The rest of the cast is decent, giving performances on par with what is expected.
The fights here, may they be hand to hand combat or gunfights are solid. The work by Art Camacho shows and hiring him was definitely a great choice. For those uninitiated, Camacho is known as the Latin Dragon and has an extensive martial arts and fighting background. He’s a fight choreographer and a fil director. Bringing him in on an action film is a move that brings the fights a few notches above with his skills coming in to create fights that are dynamic, realistic, and entertaining. His work here is solid as usual.
The cinematography to bring all of this to the screen is by Sam Wilkerson who frames things just right during the fight with closer shots when needed and some really nice overhead shots here and there. The film is well shot and well edited with work by Cody Miller who must be thanked for letting the audience see the fights, something much more expensive films can’t seem to understand. The work here is what you get when a film has proper action choreography, folks who can do this choreography on screen, minimal need to hide anything, and a love for a good action scene.
Gunfight at Rio Bravo is a film that went direct to DVD and VOD but could have been a lot of fun on the big screen. It’s an action western that knows what it has to offer and knows how to work within its budgetary limitations. The film is fun and entertaining with some good fights, a few really stunning shots peppered throughout, and it creates a world where sequels could easily be established.