Gun Town Review
Written by: deadhorse13
“What in the Sam Hill is Gun Town, you ask? Well let me mosey on over, partner, and I’ll tell ya.. Seems a coon’s age ago (that’s roughly 30 years to you city folk) Gun Town was a thriving little tourist attraction where you see them Old West re-enactments and such. Good times. But good times often go bad as they say and danged if theys ain’t right. It seems a feller by the name of Frank Bailey Sr. went a little crooked one day and left some folk dead as door-nails, I tell you what. Johnny Law threw him in the looney bin for a right spell, as you can imagine, but now the sumbitch is out and it appears that Frank and the rest of the Bailey clan have returned home to make an encore performance.
You see Frank plays the face of justice in Gun Town, but oddly enough he don’t ever show it, bein’ that he hides it behind a mask and all. This shrouded Sheriff keeps the peace with a quick draw, a loaded revolver and a trusty roll of cellophane; while the missus ‘taint exactly a Southern belle you want to be ringin’. The two sons, Frank Jr. and Bobo, well they don’t appear quite above-board either, if you get my meanin’. There’s no tellin’ what type of baleful bonanza could be in store for any squatters who have the misfortune of steppin’ into those badlands. Take my advice buckaroo, if you or yer painted lady are ever unlucky enough to catch the white of ol’ Frank’s eyes, or any of those Bailey kin, ya’ll just best get to scootin’ now, ya here? Yessiree.”
Freshman indie-director Lee Vervoort’s Gun Town makes the most of its wooden nickels to make a kind of Tourist Trap meets 2000 Maniacs action/horror film that hearkens back to slasher’s glory days. Although it is hampered by a shoestring budget and amateur players, Gun Town still manages to be an enjoyable film.
The simple plot poses five young adults who get stranded close to the fabled amusement attraction and soon find themselves on the wrong side of the law. After a gradual build-up we finally see things start to pan out for these suburban subjects. There’s some amusing dialogue and a few bit characters that keep things interesting as Frank and Family give the youngins a taste of the wild frontier, emphasis on the wild.
Lee Vervoort multi-tasks his heart out here as producer, writer and director; in addition to playing the lead lawman he takes another minor role as a concerned and ass-kicking father. The two lead actresses offer some very pleasing eye-candy, but their breasts do tend to hold more gravity than their amateur performances. The male leads are a little more convincing with foil Andrew Thornhill having the most fun. Special nods go to Morgan Graham who really stands out as Mrs. Bailey, as I found her scenes to be the most inspired.
Gun Town is an entertaining film with a fun spirit and atmosphere. Very conventional by most standards, but it never overstays its welcome or becomes tedious. The budgetary constraints do leave some things to be desired, but it’s nothing to really pitch a fit about. With some more coin, a few stronger performances and some visual pizzazz, Vervoort could have a real ace in the hole one day. Support independent film, check it out.