‘The Unholy Trinity’ Sadly Doesn’t Restore One’s Interest In Westerns

There’s something quite underwhelming about The Unholy Trinity, and it may just be because it’s a western.

Western films flourished at the global box office, notably in the 50s and 60s, but interest seemed to wane beyond the 70s as audiences’ taste for cinematic enjoyment transitioned from the western genre.

Interest was occasionally rekindled with box office hits which included Django Unchained and The Revenant (both starred Leonardo DiCaprio) and The Hateful Eight, but these successes were few and far in between.

On streaming however, western-themed series’ have made a comeback, with massive hits led by Yellowstone and 1823. But can a western feature once again prove to be cinematically successful?

The Unholy Trinity is a new western feature currently screening in cinemas for a very limited engagement and without fanfare, before settling in comfortably on streaming platforms where viewership should most likely be guaranteed.

Set in Montana in 1873 a convicted felon named Isaac Broadway is to be hanged and he asks his estranged son to embark on what is seemingly an impossible task – in retribution, to ride off into the sunset to a small town named Trinity and kill the sheriff who framed him for a crime he didn’t commit.

But was this sheriff actually guilty of framing him? Was his mission to avenge his father’s wrongful execution in vain?

There’s a fortune in gold buried in the town so this short-lived mission of avengement is extended, with endless gun fights resulting in high body counts (I mean, what would a western drama be without nicely choreographed gunfights?) and travels on horsebacks through the great outdoors in Montana.

Moviegoers don’t need to be cinephiles to realise when they’re watching limited cinematic releases which were ultimately produced for streaming. The budget constraints that have cheapened the film’s quality traditionally permeate throughout, which is the case with The Unholy Trinity.

Many reputable actors in recent years have accepted roles in feature films produced for streaming. Pierce Brosnan joined the queue and portrays Sheriff Gabriel and Samuel L Jackson plays a role which simply arouses annoyance. Both talents unfortunately are wasted in this bland western and audiences may ask, “Why did they accept these roles – are movie offers diminishing?”

The cast all seem to have different accents which is decisively detracting. The fake American accents delivered by several of the support cast and strong English accents (what were these English folk doing living in a small town in Montana?) are intrusive and deviate from the enjoyment of the film. The overacting by several of the supporting cast in the earlier scenes also downgrade the production.

Hilariously, one of the actresses has lips which are noticeably cosmetically enhanced  – quite an advancement for the 1870s! But it supplies a couple of chuckles, which alleviates the monotonous nature of the narrative.

Being a western flick enthusiast may make this tolerable viewing but seriously, if you must watch this film, wait until it arrives on streaming platforms.

The Unholy Trinity

**

Limited cinematic release happening now; July 16 on streaming platforms.