Search - Jericho (2000) on DVD

A Great Western

james c ham | Uvalde, Texas United States | 07/22/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jericho is a great character-driven, classic western. I saw it at the Film Festival in Houston in April 2001. I have been looking for it on video ever since. Mark Valley, as Jericho, and Leon Coffee, as Joshua, make a great team as a man haunted by his past and a cowbory-preacher who becomes his friend. R. Lee Ermey plays the Marshall and Buck Taylor is the trail boss. Jericho is also a mystery with a surprise ending. Don't miss seeing this one."

Good independent western

Donald W. Canaday | 07/26/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jericho is a neat little film that shines despite the low budget that independent films are usually forced to work with. There are not a lot of stunts or special effects in this film, but the plot and character development are first rate and certainly better than much of the crap that the big studios often shove down our throats. At times it is a bit slow and it leaves you wondering exactly where it is going. The pace picks up near the end, however, and you turn off the DVD player happy that you went out and bought this movie."

Pretty good Western

LGwriter | Astoria, N.Y. United States | 05/08/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"An interesting low-budget addition to the Western genre, Jericho is unusual in that while the plot is relatively strong, some of the dialogue is pretty clunky, and there are some big gaps in logic here and there. Nevertheless, a Western with an intelligent view of how nasty racism really is does have real merit.

Attempting to mix film noir with the Western, Jericho finds the title character having lost his memory (the noir aspect) after being left for dead by some bad guys--three, to be exact. But we only see two of them. At first. (The revelation of the third is another disappointment in the film; it's basically no big deal at all). Jericho is rescued by Joshua, an ex-slave, ex-preacher who's now a drifting cowboy (i.e., a guy who herds cattle on a drive for a living)--moving from one job to another. Having nothing better to do, Jericho goes with him and they meet various folks along the way.

Eventually, of course, the mystery of Jericho's identity must be revealed and this revealing half works, half doesn't. Coming near the film's completion, it leaves one huge loose end that never gets tied up at all which is definitely disappointing.

But also on the plus side is R. Lee Ermey who turns in a solid performance as the local marshal; it was nice to see him in the film. He and Buck Taylor as the trail boss, as well as a few other older, seasoned guys, lend the film some substance it wouldn't have otherwise. The cast is almost all unknowns.

Not great at all, but also not bad at all, this is a Western that is worth viewing and maybe owning--if you're a fan of the genre. It would have helped if the level of intelligence on display had been consistently strong instead of intermittent."

Jericho

George H Stoebel | Chula Vista, CA USA | 02/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This film shows up about every 3 months on the Starz Western Channel. I have viewed it twice and found something new each time.
whether you like westerns or not, you will find this a new and refreshing take on some old themes."