Trimark Pictures
Not part of a collection.
South of Heaven, West of Hell
It's A Little Strange Out There...
Valentine Casey is a Marshal in the desolate Tucson territory of the early 1900s. On Christmas Eve, his outlaw family pays him a disturbing visit. He must confront the sins of his past. He and his partner, U.S. Christmas, journey through the desert to a small town that the ruthless Henry Clan has hit in order to save Casey's love, Adelyne.
- Original title
- South of Heaven, West of Hell
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- $4,000,000
- Revenue
- —
Wuchak
Jan 2, 2024 · via TMDB
**_Interesting first half goes off the rails bad in the second_** A marshal in southern Arizona (Dwight Yoakam) tracks down a clan of murderous bank robbers with whom he grew up (Luke Askew, Vince Vaughn, Paul Reubens, etc.). Along the way he meets a woman that distracts his attention (Bridget Fonda). Peter Fonda, Bo Hopkins and Matt Clark are also on hand. “South of Heaven, West of Hell” (2000) is an eccentric adult Western with a great cast made by country music star Dwight Yoakam. He had some success at acting (e.g. “Sling Blade”) and so tried his hand at scriptwriting and directing here. He also plays the noble protagonist, of course, and does well in the role. There’s some beauty, like the cinematography and romance, but there’s also an uncompromising nasty edge that emphasizes the ugly side of the Old West, as was done in “The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid” and Peckinpah’s “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.” If you like those Westerns and similar artsy ones, like "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" and "The Missouri Breaks," give it a try, but it’s arguably the least of ’em (with Brando’s “The Missouri Breaks” being the best IMHO, although “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” certainly has its points of interest). I should add that the violence in the flick is creative and stark, not to mention sometimes amusing. Speaking of amusing, Dwight did the music, which is sometimes ill-fitting, especially in the violent second half, which suggests that he was shooting for quirky and perhaps black comedy. Meanwhile Billy Bob Thornton shows up in an interesting bit part. Unfortunately, too much of the second half smacks of lousy filmmaking. No doubt Yoakam was being experimental and artistic, but I found too much of the film awkward, uncompelling and repugnant, even amateurish, which leaves a bad taste. It’s no surprise that it was a flop and hasn’t developed a cult following. I give credit to Dwight for trying and taking great risks (with SOME of it working), but it turned into a cinematic nightmare for him. The script needed rewritten to flush out the potential and tweak flaws, but that takes money which Yoakam didn’t have (he already sold his mansion in Malibu to help finance it). He had access to quality actors and enough money for a decent Western, but I guess you could say he was in over his head. It smacks of a Tarantino Western by a wannabe. Bridget (Peter’s daughter) would only do six more movies and a handful of TV episodes before retiring from the biz in 2002. The film runs 2 hours, 11 minutes, and was shot in southeastern Arizona (Sharp's Ranch historical site in San Rafael Valley, Old Tucson, Mescal and Benson). GRADE: C/C-
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Philo
YouTube TV
Starz Amazon Channel
Starz
Starz Apple TV channel
MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel
Starz Roku Premium Channel
Howdy Amazon Channel
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Dwight Yoakam
Valentine Casey
Billy Bob Thornton
Brig. Smalls
Bridget Fonda
Adalyne Dunfries
Peter Fonda
Shoshonee Bill
Paul Reubens
Arvid Henry
Bud Cort
Agent Otts
Michael Jeter
Uncle Jude
Vince Vaughn
Taylor Henry
Scott Wilson
—
Warren Zevon
Babcock
Natalie Canerday
Sissy
James Glennon
Director of Photography
Jeff Dashnaw
Stunt Coordinator
Lance Gilbert
Stunts
Dwight Yoakam
Director
Robert A. Ferretti
Editor
Dwight Yoakam
Music
Dwight Yoakam
Screenplay
The Vigilantes Ride
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Return of the Forest Monster
North from the Lone Star
Dokuz Dağın Efesi: Çakıcı Geliyor
Barren Lives
Once Were Warriors
Bloody Sunday
Smoke
Me and You and Everyone We Know
Cheyenne Roundup
Transamerica
Between Friends
Barfly
Chopper
Sweet and Lowdown
Heaven's Gate
Out of the Blue
Paranoid Park
Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws
The Wraith
The Matador
A Genius, Two Friends, and an Idiot
The Good Bad-Man
Mad City
Human Nature
Disco Fever
Babylon
Lucas
Nothing
Hamlet
Pumpkin
Write to Kill
The King Is Alive
The Last Sin Eater
What if it Works?
Straight to Hell
Shinjuku Swan
Homestead
The Feud of the Trail
Kill the Poor
Man About Town
Man with the Screaming Brain
The Creep Behind the Camera
Cutaway
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter
Blueberry
The Last Run
War Baby
Walking to Linas
Hindi Tao Hindi Hayop
Science Project
The Gun and the Canary
Hot Fuzz
High Plains Drifter
Old Henry
Jubal
Young Guns
Appaloosa
The Warrior's Way
The Quick and the Dead
Shaft
The Magnificent Seven
The Missouri Breaks
Showdown in Little Tokyo
Last Man Standing
The Quick and the Dead
El Gringo
Apache Junction
Day of Reckoning
Surrounded
In a Valley of Violence
Mad Dog Morgan
From Noon Till Three
Jane Got a Gun
Dead for a Dollar
Jan 28, 2000
Dec 15, 2000
