Review of Hickok (2017) by Mwil236 — 07 Feb 2018

An acceptably entertaining production of the familiar Western variety, Hickok will do for fans of the genre who have little interest in history or originality. Applying only a name, time and place to the actual history of Wild Bill Hickok and replacing him with an appreciably hotter man of completely different appearance, Hickok focuses on another actual event from the man's life dramatized by a classic ex-girlfriend debacle.

Luke Hemsworth provides an almost Tom Hardy-esque performance as an admittedly gritty and legitimate western threat, but his performance is mired by a cookie-cutter story and predictable tropes of the genre played out in almost insultingly clear exposition on screen.

That's not to say that you won't occasionally find yourself impressed with the action sequences or satisfied by the gunslinging, but you'll forget the experience shortly thereafter. Trace Adkins stays in his lane as a supporting villain while Kris Kristofferson is forced to occupy the role of sagely, tired old man who tries to save the young hothead (Hemsworth) from himself, which is a shame.

As a Saturday afternoon Netflix indulgence, Hickok has a place in most fans' lives.