THE VIRGINIAN DVD (2013)

SYNOPSIS: South is the foreman of Sunk Creek Ranch and a feared enforcer for the cattle baron Judge Henry, who took him in after his parents were killed by rustlers. As part of his duties he is to look after a writer from the big city, Owen, who has come out West to research a novel. Owen is appalled at the savagery of the land, in particular the way cattle rustlers are treated. As South tells him, rustling cattle in Wyoming is worse than shooting a man in the back. There's a rash of rustling that is decimating Judge Henry's operation and South is trying to get to the bottom of it and find the rustlers. Along the way he romances the new schoolteacher in town, Molly, who takes a liking to South until she learns what his job entails. She urges him to avoid bloodshed. As South seeks clues as to who is doing the rustling he finds answers he wishes he hadn't.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Country music star and occasional actor Trace Adkins plays the title role of North dubbed The Virginian by his long-time friend. He works for Judge Henry (Ron Perlman) as sort of an enforcer making sure his ranches are well taken care of and free from cattle rustling.

Troubles brew for North when Judge Henry hires a sleazy helper Trampas (Steve Bacic) to assist in cases of missing cattle. Fortunately for North, he has the helping hands of New York writer Owen Walton (Brendon Penny) who has arrived in town to research for his book. Justice, corruption and deception rules the day as North begins an investigation behind a spate of mysterious killings.

Apparently, the source material of The Virginian is quite a big deal. It’s based on a 1902 first ever-Western novel and has been notably made into movies and television series over the years. Much of the time, the plotting establishes North as a no-nonsense character. He lives by a code, grants no mercy to rustlers and he only answer to Judge Henry who treats him as his future successor in the ranch business. Well, he does have a romance partner in the form of Molly West (Victoria Pratt), a schoolteacher being coaxed by North to teach the children in the town.

Trace Adkins’ performance as North is rather impressive not bad for someone whose day job is a country singer. Ron Perlman can easily beat the crap out of any monsters and his presence is certainly felt as the dubious Judge Henry.

The Virginian is not the sort of Wild West adventure that features lots of action, spectacle and stunts. While definitely not in the league of Lone Ranger and 3:10 to Yuma, this budgeted TV-like western is a genuinely well-told effort to sit through. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The audio and visual aspects are serviceable for this title. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee