I am giving this film two stars because it is earnest, and also because it had some backing behind it. Otherwise, it's pretty much an amateurish exercise similar to shorts seen on Youtube.
The cinematography is fair for direct-to-video, and the editing is acceptable. The story is confused, the dialog inane, the acting below par for everyone except Mr. Vaughn (although second-billed, Willie Nelson merely walks on and off). There's also an anti-violence message at the end which makes no sense in the context of the rest of the film. Anachronisms abound which are very annoying.
Look, when you have an idea for a film, check it out with others. Also check it against history - if you're making a Western, but it doesn't look anything like a classic Western, then you're not making any kind of Western, don't do it. The classics exist to learn from. They endure. We don't need El Topo style allegories anymore - we didn't even need it back then.
The cinematography is fair for direct-to-video, and the editing is acceptable. The story is confused, the dialog inane, the acting below par for everyone except Mr. Vaughn (although second-billed, Willie Nelson merely walks on and off). There's also an anti-violence message at the end which makes no sense in the context of the rest of the film. Anachronisms abound which are very annoying.
Look, when you have an idea for a film, check it out with others. Also check it against history - if you're making a Western, but it doesn't look anything like a classic Western, then you're not making any kind of Western, don't do it. The classics exist to learn from. They endure. We don't need El Topo style allegories anymore - we didn't even need it back then.