Dead in Tombstone

Danny Trejo, the one who made his movie career with his very recognizable face, is a busy man and he is enjoying his Hollywood moment. With a new “Machete” – yes, that guy -- film coming out pretty soon, he is at the top of his game. “Dead in Tombstone” is an enjoyable western, with a dose of fun and horror, released just in time for Halloween.

Right at the beginning of the movie, we meet the devil (Mickey Rourke) taking about how evil the west is, saying at one point that “in the west, I never go hungry.” Then we are taken to the last minutes of Red Cavanaugh (an aged and unrecognizable Anthony Michael Hall), who is about to meet his maker by hanging. However, he is saved at the last minute by his buddies from the Black Water Gang, led by Guerrero de la Paz (Trejo). Once free, and celebrating his escape with the gang, Red tells Guerrero that he has a new plan to make money. He informs Guerrero that there is a dispute over the ownership of a large quantity of gold in the town of Edendale, in Colorado, and that the gold is being stored in the local bank. Red thinks that they should rob the bank and that the job should be easy. Guerrero agrees with him, and off they go. Lucky for them, everything goes smoothly for them, and they secure the gold. Unfortunately, Red had another plan: become the town’s new marshal (having killed the current one during the robbery), and rule it with the help of his crime partners. Guerrero is against that (he is a bandit, but has some morals) and is shot to death. Enter the devil (Rourke), who accepts an offer from Guerrero (in hell by now) that he can’t refuse.

“Dead in Tombstone” was filmed in Romania, with beautiful, snowy landscapes, good production design, and directed by Roel René. The movie is colorful, yet dark when it needs to be, and successfully mixes western with horror. It has some great lines, like when Red tells Guerrero, “You don’t have to do this, brother. There is plenty of gold to go around,” to which Guerrero responds, “I prefer lead.” The film also has plenty suspense, and it will remind you of a Gary Cooper’s classic called “High Noon.” In fact, in one scene, the devil tells Guerrero that it’s “high noon, hombre.” The Blu-ray + DVD + Digital unrated edition includes deleted scenes, making-of documentaries, commentaries, and more. (USA, 2013, color, 100 min plus additional materials)

Reviewed on October 24, 2013 Universal Blu-Ray