REVIEW: Murder At Yellowstone City
Westerns have been few and far in between in recent years, so Murder At Yellowstone City is a film that enthusiasts of the genre should not miss.
Murder At Yellowstone City is set in 1881, Montana after the civil war. A prospector, who lives in a small town which has been economically crippled by the closing of the mines, finds a vein of gold and soon after is found murdered with his throat cut.
The local sheriff accuses a black man of the murder and locks him in the jailhouse awaiting trial. When he is mysteriously released by an unknown intruder more murders eventuate and naturally, he is believed to be the culprit. But is he the murderer?
When a local claims that he is not guilty of the crime the local sheriff abruptly states, “Justice must be seen to be done.” Is he insinuating that he doesn’t care who is held responsible for the crime as long as somebody is in the jailhouse? Will an innocent man go to the gallows?
Directed by Australian Richard Gray this film boasts an excellent cast with Richard Dreyfuss in a supporting role. The picturesque Montana landscapes are beautifully captured on film, being one of the major drawcards for international audiences.
What sets this western aside from those of a bygone era are the amount of explicit sex scenes and the ‘God fearing’ saloon girls living in the town’s whorehouse!
When the murderer is finally revealed in this clever Western whodunnit a major climactic gun fight eventuates. Stereotypical mass killings occur as men fall off the roofs of buildings holding guns which seemingly have never been reloaded.
Ultimately what would a Western flick be without a murderous gunfight where most of the town’s menfolk are shot dead?
★★★
