Frontier Crucible: Tensions Rise in the Wild West

From director Travis Mills, Frontier Crucible is the latest western, this time penned by an uncredited S. Craig Zahler. Taking place in 1870’s Arizona Territory, a desperately needed wagon full of medical supplies is ambushed in an Apache attack and the only man who can successfully guide it to its destination is Merrick Bedford (Clohessy), the prototypical strong and silent type protagonist. Along the way he meets up with a trio of dangerous outlaws consisting of Mule (Jane), Mule’s son Billy (Masson), and the menacing Edmund (Hammer), a trio hellbent on survival. However, when one of the outlaws accidentally kills an Apache scout, all bets are off, as the men find themselves in a game of survival and out of their element. A bit of a mixed bag, the film is certainly well made and features more than enough to please fans of classic westerns.

Gorgeously shot, Maxime Alexandre’s cinematography beautifully captures the setting’s desert landscapes both day and night. The film takes an old fashioned approach to its story, apart from the current crop of actors in the cast and its use of modern filmmaking technology, one would almost think it to be a 1950’s from the way it is shot, structured, and paced. Frontier Crucible clearly takes a lot of inspiration from Bone Tomahawk, which makes sense with the involvement of Zahler, especially as it relates to its level of violence, shocking, brutal, and very effective. For that feat, it is impressive that Mills and co. managed to secure an R rating, as one particular gnarly practical effect will definitely be engrained in the minds of audiences long after the credits roll.

Clohessy is solid as Bedford, but he is lacking in charisma, failing to stand out as much as the scenery chewing supporting cast. Meanwhile, Jane delivers without a doubt his best performance in years, and arguably one of the finest ones of his career. Mule has so many different layers to him, and despite playing a villain, he has a compelling to him that one can’t help but not take their eyes off of him whenever he is on screen. Also, the film marks Hammer’s first major role since his highly publicized controversy years ago, and while there is a whole other conversation to be had about why he would take such a villainous role as his comeback vehicle, he is off to a decent start here. His acting ability was never the problem, making for a menacing antagonist throughout and one who audiences will be waiting for his comeuppance.

While well made, the film is not exactly the most exciting and definitely could have been cleaned up a bit. Despite the looming threat throughout, its biggest issue is its lack of tension, as the stakes are non-existent until partway through the third act. A slow burn of the highest degree, a formula that has worked well for past Zahler works, Mills struggles to keep his film consistently engaging and occasionally fails to keep the story moving along to the point that it is includes an excess of wasted scenes that add nothing to the overall experience. To that point, it is far too long, clocking in at just over the 2-hour mark, and would have benefitted from being trimmed by at least 15-20 minutes considering with how deliberately paced it is.

Had it not been for a few more tweaks, Frontier Crucible could have been the next great western, but still gets enough right to get by and earn a mild recommendation. The performances, particularly from Thomas Jane, a brutal third act, and gorgeous cinematography help it stand out from the litany of other similar westerns. In the end, though it may be far from perfect, the film will surely please its target demographic and will definitely find an audience one way or another.

still courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment 

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/