Review of Aces 'N' Eights (2008) by Van R — 23 Nov 2009

This above-average but violent made-for-television western pits the villainous land-hungry railroad against the defenseless small-frye ranchers whose lands lay on the railroad route. ACTION JACKSON director Craig R. Baxley helms this exciting little horse opera with flair to spare and the momentum never lags during its concise 87 minutes. Baxley spent over 30 years performing stunts on movies like DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER as well as the NBC blockbuster hit THE A-TEAM so he has a knack for orchestrating interesting stunts. The photography by Yaron Levy of STREET WARRIOR constantly thrusts you into the thick of the gunfire and the camera work is nimble, lending the film a palatable sense of versimilitude. As the protagonist named Luke Rivers, Casper Van Dien is actually tolerable for a change and the beard gives him a lot of maturity. Late in the action, he puts on a poncho and vaguely resembles Clint Eastwood. The sturdy cast includes Bruce Boxleitner as a believable gunfighter named D.C. Cracker. D.C. has a hard time deciding which side of the fight he is going to be on when trouble comes calling. Ninety-one year old Ernest Borgnine of THE WILD BUNCH and VERA CRUZ plays one of the chief ranchers that the railroad has been harassing about his land. He does not scare easily and Luke and he become friends. SUGARLAND EXPRESS star William Atherton makes a slimy bad guy named Howard. Jeff Kobar as a killer named Tate is particularly vicious without a sympathetic bone in his wiicked body. He exudes evil. Of course, the devious Chicago-based railroad company doesn't want to pay a penny more for the land than necessary.

ACES N EIGHTS springs more surprises than you might imagine for its humble origins without violating any of the formula conventions of westerns. Make no mistake, this western is at times rather brutal. Jack Noseworthy of BREAKDOWN stands out as a member of the railroad who has come to negotiate a peaceful settlement between the railroad and the landowners. The gunfights are noisy but not bloody. The treacherous hired guns working for the railroad terrorize and murder land owners and their wives to scare them into selling out. One indication of a good movie is when the chief characters change and evolve during the trajectory of the narrative. The finale is a well-staged UNFORGIVEN gunfight between the heroes and the villains with a surprisingly conclusion.