By Krista Liebe
Special to the Tribune
You want to have some fun? You want to laugh out loud? Then join the Williams Lake Film Club, also known as the Film Club family, next Friday, April 6, at 7 p.m. at the Central Cariboo Arts Centre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
We will show you Gunless, a truly Canadian Western released in 2010, about The Montana Kid, fastest draw in the north … kinda. Director/writer is William Phillips with a wonderful cast of Paul Gross as the Montana Kid, Sienna Guillory as the smart English lass, and Graham Greene as, well, Graham Greene. There is a great crew of Canadian actors you just know you have seen before. It was shot on location on a large ranch around Osoyoos, beautiful scenery, runs for 89 minutes, and is rated PG.
The Montana Kid is based on legends and little smidgens of evidence here and there. So much is known: There once was an American gunslinger called The Montana Kid coming to Canada. There was a reward on his head, he was seen wearing Chinese clothing, and there might have even been a tiny little town called Barclay’s Brush. It does not really matter. What matters is the film and the story.
A quiet and peaceful community in the Dominion of Canada is shaken up by the arrival of a wounded and stinky gun-toting American cowboy, simply known as The Montana Kid, wanted for the alleged killing of seven men. A subsequent clarification reveals that his real name is Sean Rafferty and that he has killed eleven men, not just seven. Shortly after his arrival he meets the giant blacksmith of the town, and he calls him out for a showdown.
Not just him, The Montana Kid is simply itching for a showdown with someone, please. But none of the 17 inhabitants of Barclay’s Brush want to oblige. None of them seem to understand or appreciate the brutal code of the American Wild West. The Montana Kid remains stuck in Barclay’s Brush, getting drawn into a strange Canadian world of eccentric characters and their little rituals. Square dancing, anyone? Or whiskey in a fancy tea cup?
Most important, there is Jane, the smart English lass, a sassy woman who becomes his only hope of finding a way out … or perhaps his final reason for staying.
There is no cussing. You won’t wince when you hear the smart lines, you simply enjoy them. Not something you find too often nowadays. What else can I say? This is a wonderful movie just waiting to entertain you. And as a special western treat I will bake you some Snickerdoodles. And you can wash them down with Ovaltine, or Hot Chocolate. How about that for some old fashioned Friday night entertainment?
And it only sets you back $10 for regular adults, you know if you are or aren’t, $8 for Film Club members, and $6 for seniors, 65+, no cheatin’ allowed, thank you, Mam, and for students, High School and TRU. Proceeds go to support one-on-one tutoring for students with learning problems.
See you Friday. What did The Montana Kid say when he realized he was in Canada? Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse…