6 Bullets to Hell (2014)

"Six Bullets To Hell" is really great on so many levels, I enjoyed the hell out of it. The "look"and "feel" of the film is pure "spaghetti western" and in as much as it plays like an "homage" to Leone, Corbucci and Petroni it stands on it's own mainly on the strength of the acting and cinematography. Tanner Beard's "Bobby Durango" is the sickest sociopath since Aldo Ray in "Welcome to Hard Times." The cold death stare and ruthless swagger he possesses is quite alarming, this guy is a force of nature, like a tornado you don't want to cross paths with and Beard essays his malevolence with skill and dark charisma. He wrote and co-directed this with Russell Cummings. Cummings is also really great as Sheriff Morris (who's father taught him to use his head instead of a gun.) His subtle evolution in the movie is one of it's true delights and Cummings shows us the heart of the character and not just a "character." Together they have captured the essence and feel of the spaghetti classics while giving it all a fresh polish. With the excellent cinematography of Olivier Merckx they manage to capture the beauty of the terrain while never losing the desolation of the era. You can almost taste the dust in your mouth. Crispian Belfrage as "Billy Rogers" has old school movie charisma and a bit of the Clint "squint" but with his own bristling energy behind the eyes. You can feel the blood and memories of this character, the history. He tears into his role with relish, he's great to watch...Ken Luckey's "Two Gun Joe" is another character who wears the depravity of the times in his crazy socio/psychopathic demeanor... the chemistry all of the actors have is really compelling and essential to making this movie work. So many great performances from all of the actors in this, wonderful moments with actors well immersed in the essential grittiness of their roles. The movie clocks in at a crisp 80 minutes and while there aren't a lot of surprises plot wise you can tell the people who made this made it with love for the genre and an eye for reclaiming the genre as the pure cinematic entertainment it is.

I was fortunate to attend private screening of "6 Bullets To Hell" in September 2014 and also at the Holly Shorts Film Festival in Hollywood (1-15-15).