Promise and Outnumbered – Ones to Watch for Western Fans
There’s something about the western genre that perseveres through the decades, and while there are certainly dry spells from time to time where the genre sputters and stalls and seems unlikely to make a resurgence, there are always a handful that slip through the cracks completely under the radar, made totally outside the mainstream and without the constraints of studio interference. Such is the case with two current westerns in circulation right this moment: Joe Cornet’s homage to the Italian spaghetti western entitled Promise and the epic-length feature film Outnumbered, produced and shot in Freestone Valley, on the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. Both films are striking examples of the independent spirit of filmmaking, and while both are in current release, they each aptly demonstrate that the western genre is still very much alive and well and deserve the attention of the consumer looking to quench the craving for six-shooter action and intensity that a fan of the genre demands.
Cornet’s Promise is a dramatic piece shot in the stylish Italian fashion that stars its own director as a retired contract scout for the Union – a gunslinger named Ransom – on a quest to find out what happened to his true love and her daughter, and the mission is fraught with battles, backstabbing, and a final showdown before his tragic past finally comes to a crescendo. Cornet’s love for the genre is evident with nods to Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad, and the Uglyand various other classic benchmarks of the genre, and as Promise is his third western in a row (A Prayer for the Damned and Incident at Guilt Ridge preceded Promise), he shows no sign of slowing down. He’s already prepping to shoot another western with Russian action star Alexander Nevsky (Black Rose, Showdown in Manila) entitled Assault on Rio Bravo. With Cornet, westerns are a mainstay, and Promise is his best work to date by far.
On the Australian front, Outnumbered comes seemingly out of nowhere. More than a decade in the making, the film is a sprawling piece of work the likes of which we really haven’t seen quite on this scale before. Clocking in at nearly two-and-a-half hours, the film is stunningly shot on location in the countryside of the Freestone Valley in Queensland, and its cast is comprised entirely of real-life cowboys, which lends the film a unique sense of authenticity. Set in the 1800’s, the film concerns two characters – Billy and Jack – who were boys when they witnessed their father being murdered in cold blood, and they spend a lifetime seeking retribution. Directed by Emmett Adcock, but produced as a collective effort by husband and wife team Chris (who also stars in the film) and Julie Mauch, the movie has been enjoying a theatrical run in its native country, while distribution in the USA and beyond is forthcoming. What makes Outnumbered so appealing is that it looks so impressive and has a real-deal homegrown ethos to it that is a rare thing indeed these days in independent films, much less a western with great action and intensity.
If you’re in the mood for a new western, look no further than Cornet’s Promise (currently streaming on almost every major VOD outlet) or Outnumbered if you’re one of our Australian readers. I’m sure Outnumbered will be coming to a theater or a VOD outlet at your fingertips in the near future, so keep an eye out for it.
