Search - Wild Bill Hickok: Swift Justice on DVD

Craig S. (InnerMacro) from WAUSAU, WI
Reviewed on 5/30/2023...

The acting and costuming in this film is much like your local Civil War re-enactment troupe, and the camera work is particularly bad (moving around, slightly off center, tedious). I'm sure everyone's heart is in the right place, but the majority of the acting is just going through the motions. Majors and Fahey are the 'big names', but they play almost no part in the movie. The story is about Wild Bill being a 'recovered' law man trying to redeem himself after allowing a couple murderous brothers escape him in a gunfight where he accidentally killed his partner and lost his job back East. The overarching theme of being an 'honest lawman' fails utterly, and Hickock comes across as being a fool and easily duped. His actions at the end of the movie underscore how foolish he had been in the first place, and the post-climax narration indicates that he was killed 18 months later. This comes as no surprise to the viewer given his actions up to that point. Rob Mello is the only bright point in this film - he does an excellent job as a believable villain throughout despite what he is given to work with. Unfortunately, his abilities cannot save the film from such a boring and dialogue-heavy script.