Category: Z-View

KING OF ASHES by S.A. Cosby / Z-View

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KING OF ASHES by S.A. Cosby

First sentence…

He dreams of his mother.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When Roman Carruthers gets the call that his father was in a terrible car accident, he heads home.  Well, where he grew up anyway.  Jefferson Run hasn’t been his home for years.  But the small town is where he grew up.

Roman arrives to find his dad hospitalized in a coma.  His sister Nevah is exhausted.  Taking care of dad (even before the accident) and running the family business – Carruthers Crematorium – has worn her down.  Their younger brother, Dante, now a young man, should be helping.  But he’s doing the opposite.  Dante’s been a mess since their mother disappeared years ago.  Rumors that their dad may have been behind her disappearance haven’t helped.

Roman figures he’ll quickly get things straightened out.  Then it’ll be back to the big city and his thriving financial business.  Roman has a knack for making his clients rich. And him too in the process.

What Roman hadn’t counted on was Dante’s trouble.

The young fool went into a drug deal with his buddy.  They thought they’d buy some dope cheap, sell it at a profit and make quick cash.  Dante didn’t count on his partner blowing through the product by using it himself and giving it to friends.  Now Dante owes some very bad people a very lot of money.

Roman figures that he has the cash to clear Dante’s ledger with the gangbangers.  He was wrong.

Dante owes the money to Torrent and Tranquil Gilchrist.  They’re the crazy twins who run the Black Baron Boys.  At this point, Dante is worth more to them dead.  It would send a message to others who don’t pay up on time.  When they meet, Roman tries to smooth things over with his charm and money.  It nearly costs him his life.  The only thing that saves him is his promise that he can make the twins rich legally and quickly though his financial dealings.

This promise saves his life.  Instead of being murdered, Roman is given a terrible beat down.  He’s left bloody and with the knowledge that he’s now in debt to the Gilchrist twins.

Roman knows that no matter how much money he makes them, dealing with Torrent and Tranquil Gilchrist can only end with his death.

But Roman has a plan.  A crazy long shot of a plan.

+++

S.A. Cosby has another winner.

Rating:

“Sphere” (1998) directed by Barry Levinson / Z-View

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Sphere (1998)

Director:  Barry Levinson

Screenplay:  Stephen Hauser, Paul Attanasio; adaptation by Kurt Wimmer; based on SPHERE by Michael Crichton

Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Coyote, Liev Schreiber, Queen Latifah, Bernard Hocke, James Pickens Jr. and Huey Lewis.

Tagline: A Barry Levinson film

The Plot…

A spacecraft is discovered on the ocean floor under 300 years of coral growth. A team of the best minds in their field was formed. U.S. Navy Captain Harold Barnes will lead the squad that includes astrophysicist Dr. Ted Fielding, psychologist Dr. Norman Goodman, marine biologist Dr. Beth Halperin and mathematician Dr. Harry Adams.

As the team goes down, a vicious storm approaches topside.  Communication will be lost until the weather clears.

The exploration team is surprised to discover that the spacecraft appears to be American.  Further, a huge sphere of unknown make-up is in the craft.  It reflects everything in the room except the people.

The team returns to their craft to recharge.  They are surprised when their computers begin to display encoded messages.  Once deciphered the communication appears to be coming from the sphere.  Everything the crew says or does is known by the sphere.  While they wait for the storm topside to clear, strange things begin happening.  And one member of the crew doesn’t seem to be himself.

And then things go really bad…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Sphere is an interesting film right up until the final resolution.  THAT killed it for me.

Dustin Hoffman was reportedly disappointed in the film.  He felt that some issues could have been corrected had the film not have a hard release date.

Sphere (1998) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“The Alto Knights” (2025) directed by Barry Levinson, starring Robert De Niro / Z-View

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The Alto Knights (2025)

Director:  Barry Levinson

Screenplay:  Nicholas Pileggi

Stars: Robert De Niro, Debra Messing, Kathrine Narducci, Cosmo Jarvis, Michael Rispoli, James Ciccone, Wallace Langham, Ed Amatrudo, Mike Seely and Brian Scolaro.

Tagline: The most dangerous enemy is an old friend

The Plot…

Frank Costello and Vito Genovese grew up together as best friends.  They became notorius crime bosses for different families.  When Costello plans to retire he informs Genovese.  Genovese smells a doublecross.  Soon a gang war irrupts.  Who will survive?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Who cares?  I tapped out after about 30 minutes.

A lot of the movie is voice overs played as old time photos appear.  I also thought having De Niro play both parts was more distracting than it should be.

Although Robert De Niro plays both Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, an actor was hired to play opposite De Niro during filming.  De Niro felt it was needed to get the best performance.  So the actor would play Costello while De Niro acted as Genovese.  The De Niro and the actor would switch parts and redo the scenes.  The actor hired has been kept a secret.

The Alto Knights (2025) rates 1 of 5 stars.

“Predator 2” (1990) starring Danny Glover / Z-View

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Predator 2 (1990)

Director:  Stephen Hopkins

Screenplay:  Jim Thomas, John Thomas based on characters created by Jim Thomas, John Thomas 

Stars: Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Kevin Peter Hall, Rubén Blades, Maria Conchita Alonso, Robert Davi, Adam Baldwin, Kent McCord, Morton Downey Jr., Calvin Lockhart, Steve Kahan, Henry Kingi, Elpidia Carrillo, Lilyan Chauvin and Bill Paxton.

Tagline: He’s in town with a few days to kill.

The Plot…

1997.  Los Angeles is suffering one of the worst summer heat waves in history.  When temperatures rise, tempers flare which is only adding to problems facing L.A.’s finest.  A gang war between Columbian and Jamacan drug cartels is in full force.  Gunfire and turf battles erupt with frequency. Lieutenant Mike Harrigan and his drug task force have their hands full.

When Special Agent Peter Keyes leading a Federal Task Force arrives, Harrigan thinks that they’ve come to assist in taking down the cartels.  Soon Harrigan will learn the real reason.  A Predator has come to town to collect trophies.

Hunting season is now open.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Kevin Peter Hall returned to play the Predator.  For scenes at the end of the movie where additional Predators show up, members of the L.A. Lakers were recruited for the roles.

John McTiernan, director of the original Predator, was getting $2 million a film and producers didn’t want to pay that much.

Elpidia Carrillo, who played Anna in the first film, is listed in the credits, but you will have to look hard to find her.  Carrillo shows up on a video monitor in Federal Agent Keye’s mobile headquarters.  Carrillo filmed other scenes that didn’t make the final cut.

Danny Glover, Gary Busey and Steve Kahan co-starred in Lethal Weapon (1987).  Kahan played Glover’s boss in all the Lethal Weapon films.

It was nice seeing Kent McCord of Adam-12 fame in a supporting role.

I loved Predator.  Predator 2 is good, but falls short of the original.  Predator 2 leans more into the humor, over-the-top scenes and gore.

Predator 2 (1990) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“The Wire” Season 4 created by David Simon / Z-View

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The Wire: Season 4 (2006)

Created by: David Simon

Teleplay by:

  • (eps. 1,13) David Simon from a story by David Simon, Ed Burns;
  • (ep. 2) David Mills from a story by Ed Burns, David Mills
  • (ep. 3) Richard Price from a story by Ed Burns, Richard Price
  • (ep. 4) Dennis Lehane from a story by Ed Burns, Dennis Lehane
  • (eps. 5, 11) Ed Burns from a story by David Simon, Ed Burns
  • (ep. 6) Eric Overmyer  from a story by Ed Burns, Eric Overmyer 
  • (ep. 7) William F. Zorzi from a story by Ed Burns, William F. Zorzi
  • (ep. 8) Richard Price from a story by Ed Burns, Richard Price
  • (ep. 9) Kia Corthron from a story by Ed Burns, Kia Corthron
  • (ep. 10) Eric Overmyer from a story by Ed Burns, Eric Overmyer
  • (ep. 12) George Pelecanos from a story by Ed Burns,  George Pelecanos

Directed by: Joe Chappelle (eps. 1, 12); Christine Moore (ep. 2); Seith Mann (ep. 3); Jim McKay (ep. 4); David Platt (ep. 5); Dan Attias (ep.6); Anthony Hemingway (ep. 7); Agnieszka Holland (ep. 8); Alex Zakrzewski (ep. 9); Ernest Dickerson (ep. 10, 13); Brad Anderson (ep. 11)

Stars: Aidan Gillen, Jim True-Frost, Domenick Lombardozzi, Reg E. Cathey, Jamie Hector, Wendell Pierce, Lance Reddick, Sonja Sohn, John Doman, Clarke Peters, Robert Wisdom, Seth Gilliam, Corey Parker Robinson, Frankie Faison, Dominic West, Deirdre Lovejoy, Andre Royo,  J. D. Williams, Chad Coleman, Glynn Turman, Robert F. Chew, Method Man, Hassan Johnson, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Felicia Pearson, Michael Kostroff, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., Delaney Williams, Amy Ryan, Paul Ben-Victor  and Michael K. Williams.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

With Stringer Bell dead, Marlo has expanded his crew to take over the Barksdale territory.  The police are surprised that Marlo’s expansion hasn’t led to dead bodies.  It has, but Marlo has figured a way to keep them under cover.  Chris and Snoop continue taking bodies but they never turn up.

Herc, on the Mayor’s security detail figures it will be an easy way to promotion.  Then Herc accidentally learns something that may cost him his job.

Councilman Carcetti continues his efforts to become Baltimore’s new Mayor.  Carcetti’s rise in the polls forces Mayor Royce to take stern actions.  Dirty tricks and questionable ethics are par for the course.

Michael’s willingness to do what it takes to control his corner impresses Marlo.  Omar bids his time until he is ready to make his move against Marlo’s organization.

Former Major Crimes Unit Officer Roland ‘Prez’ Pryzbylewski takes a teaching job at a local high school.  Ex-con Cutty, trying to stay out of trouble with his parole officer begins working as a truant officer.  Bubbles is repeatedly beaten and robbed by a street thug.  His police friends are no help.  When Bubbles has reached his limit, he plans revenge that backfires in a way that will haunt him for life.

Deputy Commissioner Rawls sees the shifting political sands as an opportunity for advancement. Former Baltimore Police Major Howard “Bunny” Colvin accepts a position supported by a government grant to work with the most disruptive high school students.  The plan isn’t supported by district or state guidelines, but seems to be working.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Wire was a Nominee for a 2005 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series –  George Pelecanos (writer/story by), David Simon (story by) for the Middle Ground episode

Each season of The Wire builds upon the last. The series continues to be well written, well directed and well acted.

The series spends as much time with the criminals as the cops. This season we get political intrigue, the impact politics has on police work and a local at students headed in the wrong direction and their impact on school settings. Kudos to the writers for making each character and storyline important.

I cannot wait to start season 5.

The Wire: Season 4 (2006) earns 5 of 5 stars.

“aka Charlie Sheen” (2025) / Z-View

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aka Charlie Sheen (2025)

Director:  Andrew Renzi

Stars: Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, Jon Cryer, Denise Richards, Chris Tucker and Heidi Fleiss.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Charlie Sheen bares all in a two-part documentary that covers his life from a small child to now.  Sheen discusses his childhood, movie career, being the highest paid actor on television ($2 million per episode) as well as repeatedly bottoming out several times along the way due to drug and alcohol abuse.

Sheen along with Sean Penn (childhood friend), Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men co-star), Chris Tucker (movie co-star), Denise Richards (ex-wife), Heidi Fleiss (famous Hollywood Madam to the Stars) and others tell of Sheen’s highs and lows.  Nothing is off limits and Charlie discusses many topics for the first time.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Charlie Sheen had it all.  And lost it several times due to his self-destructive and addictive personality.  It is amazing that Sheen was able to come back so many times.  He seems to be in a good place now and perhaps it is due to his willingness to open up about his life.  Sheen has been clean for seven years at this point.  Hopefully he won’t relapse.

aka Charlie Sheen (2025) rates 5 of 5 stars.

BLUE MOON: A JACK REACHER NOVEL by Lee Child /-View

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BLUE MOON by Lee Child

First sentence…

The city looked small on a map of America.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The Greyhound bus was about to pull into town.  Reacher, sitting several seats behind, notices an old man with a thick bank envelope sticking out of his pocket.  A seat ahead of Reacher, a greasy haired man was also eyeing the packet. It wouldn’t take a crystal ball to see what was going to happen when the senior citizen exited the bus.  So Reacher decided to get off as well.

Sure enough, when the time was right (or so he thought) the greaser made his move.  Reacher ended the robbery but not before the old timer was knocked to the ground.  Reacher made sure the would-be thief went down too.  The creep would wake up with bruisers and maybe a little more respect for his elders.

As Reacher handed the envelope back to the old man, he realized the geezer was carrying $15,000 or maybe more.  It turns out the old guy was in debt to some very bad people.  The old guy’s daughter had cancer.  Insurance was slow to pay and the cancer was fast-moving.  So the old man borrowed from Albanian gangsters.  The excessive interest was causing finanacial ruin to the old man and his wife.  They’d soon lose their house.

Reacher decides to intervene.  He’s pretty sure he can square things with the loansharks.  That’s before he learns that the Ukranian gangsters have an uneasy true with a Albanian gang.  That gives Reacher an idea.  If it works, the old couple will be out of debt and a lot of gangsters will be dead.  If his plan fails, the old couple might be killed.  Worse still, Reacher would suffer a slow torturous death.

But once in a Blue Moon… everything goes just right.  Perhaps this will be one of those times.

+++

BLUE MOON is the 24th in the Jack Reacher series. All the Reacher novels are fun rides.  BLUE Moon is one of the best.

Rating:

“California King” (2025) / Z-View

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California King (2025)

Director:  Eli Stern

Screenplay: Eli Stern

Stars: Travis Bennett, Jimmy Tatro, Victoria Justice, Joel McHale, Melanie Haynes and Kevin Changaris.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Perry is excited to learn that Lynette, his high school girlfriend, the love of his life has broken up with her boyfriend.  Perry wants to win her back.

But how?

With the help of his buddy and Lynette’s brother a scheme is born.  Perry will save Lynette’s brother from kidnappers.  That’s right.  Kidnappers.  Perry, his friend and Lynette’s brother will fake the kidnapping and rescue.

What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

California King is tries too hard to be hip.  I usually give movies at least 30 minutes before I give up.  With California King I lasted 21 minutes.  Your mileage may vary.

California King (2025) rates 1 of 5 stars.

“Charlie Chan on Broadway” (1937) starring Warner Oland / Z-View

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Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937)

Director:  Eugene Forde

Screenplay:  Charles Belden. Jerome Cady story by Art Arthur Robert Ellis, Helen Logan

Stars: Warner Oland, Keye Luke, J. Edward Bromberg, Leon Ames, Marc Lawrence, Douglas Fowley and Lon Chaney Jr..

Tagline: DEATH STRIKES TWICE IN MANHATTAN’S GAYEST SPOTS!

The Plot…

Charlie Chan (Oland) and his son Lee (Luke) are in pulled into the murder investigation of a woman who knew political secrets and had threatened to tell all.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Lon Chaney Jr, appears uncredited in one of his first roles.

This was Warner Oland’s 15th and second-t0-last outing as Charlie Chan.

Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937) rates 2 of 5 stars.

HATCHET GIRLS by Joe R. Lansdale / Z-View

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HATCHET GIRLS: A HAP AND LEONARD NOVEL by Joe R. Lansdale

First sentences…

“Wait a minute, now.  You’re saying you want us to deal with a pig problem?” Leonard said.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Hap and Leonard agree to help a poor single mother raising several children.  She has a pig problem.  When Hap and Leonard say they’ll take care of it, they got much more than imagined.  Turns out the hog was attacking the woman and her kids every chance it got.  When Hap and Leonard arrived, the porker attacked them too.

Never ones to back down from a challenge, Hap and Leonard finally trap the hog.  In doing so they discover the woman’s neighbors are making meth and the piggie knows how to access the stash.  No wonder the oinker was so hyped-up all the time.

The cops are called.  An investigation finds no only the make-shift meth lab, but bodies buried in the back yard.  This brings Hap and Leonard smack dab in the middle of drug dealers, crooked cops, a mysterious crime boss who is called the Benefactor and worse still, a gang of women looking to take over the area’s drug trade.  The women, are smart, tough and ruthless.  Every one of them is a cold-blooded killer, who uses a hatchet to finish the job.

Unfortunately for Hap and Leonard, they’ve become targets for all involved.

+++

HATCHET GIRLS is the fourteenth in the series. If you like crime stories with the perfect mix of humor, action and mystery, then HATCHET GIRLS (and all of the Hap and Leonard tales) are for you!

Rating:

LADY MAYHEM written by Jenny Lynn Wright, illustrated by Karl Slominski / Z-View

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LADY MAYHEM written by Jenny Lynn Wright, illustrated by Karl Slominski

Publisher: Calculated Rebellion

When her father dies under suspicious circumstances a young woman returns to the city she left years before.  It was labeled an accident.  She knew it wasn’t.  The cops wouldn’t investigate.  No charges were filed.

The woman begins to dig.  She discovers her dad was a bookkeeper who learned things about many bad people.  He was starting to work with an honest cop.  Before they could prove enough, an “accident” happened.  Now everyone was ready to move on.

Except his daughter.

They didn’t know she was coming.  But they’d soon learn.

And they’d call her Lady Mahem.

+++++

LADY MAYHEM is Jenny Lynn Wright and Karl Slominski’s love letter to revenge stories.  The kind you’d find in ’80s movies, as well as comics like The Punisher and Miller and Darrow’s Hard Boiled.  Wright and Slominski love their inspirations and it shows on every page.

They’ve set their story in a corrupt town in the not too distant future.  This opens up opportunities for interesting visuals with flying cars and advanced weaponry.  Some things don’t change though.  We’ve got crooked cops, ruthless crime lords, one honest cop and a murdered parent with a grown child out for vengeance.  Only this time it’s a woman.  A very capable woman.

They call her Lady Mayhem.

 

Rating:

THE FRIENDS OF PANCHO VILLA by James Carlos Blake / Z-View

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THE FRIENDS OF PANCHO VILLA by James Carlos Blake

First sentence…

In 1910, I killed a policeman and went to prison for two years.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Rodolfo Fierro was a killer, an ex-con, a thief, a train-robber, a ladies man, a drinker, a soldier and ultimately Pancho Villa’s closest friend.  Fierro was by Villa’s side throughout the Mexican Revolution.  Many considered Villa a hero.  At one point he was nearly recognized as Mexico’s new President.  Others labeled him a villain of the worst kind.

In THE FRIENDS OF PANCHO VILLA, Fierro takes us through Villa’s rise and fall.  He pulls no punches (about Villa or himself).  The narrative is compelling.  We are there for the battles, the celebrations, the treachery, the losses and more.  We will Villa’s (and Fierro’s) savagery and compassion.  Readers will feel they are there… and be glad they’re not.

+++

James Carlos Blake’s THE FRIENDS OF PANCHO VILLA is based on research and fact.  Rodolfo Fierro was a real person and James Carlos Blake makes him come alive.  JCB has another winner.

Rating:

“Support Your Local Gunfighter!” (1971) starring James Garner, Suzanne Pleshette and Jack Elam / Z-View

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Support Your Local Gunfighter! (1971)

Director:  Burt Kennedy

Screenplay: James Edward Grant, Burt Kennedy (uncredited)

Stars: James Garner, Suzanne Pleshette, Jack Elam, Harry Morgan, Joan Blondell, Marie Windsor, John Dehner, Henry Jones, Dub Taylor, Kathleen Freeman, Dick Curtis, Willis Bouchey, Willis Bouchey, Walter Burke, Gene Evans,  Grady Sutton, Virginia Capers and Ellen Corby. 

Tagline: The story of a man who took the law into his own finger!

The Plot…

Latigo Smith, a gambler, con artist, fast gun and ladies man is almost roped into marriage.  While his bride-to-be sleeps, the train they’re traveling on stops at the small mining town of Purgatory.  When the train leaves, Latigo isn’t on it.

Purgatory is in the middle of a war between two mine barons: Taylor Barton and Colonel Ames.  Each man is trying to get to the mother lode of gold.  They’ve both hired roughnecks and rowdies.  Needless to say the town is a wild place.

As the new man in town, Latigo is mistaken for the infamous gunslinger, “Swifty” Morgan.  This gives Latigo an idea.  Realizing it’s not a smart idea to play a killer, Latigo talks his new friend, the none-to-bright Jug May into playing the part.  Soon Latigo and “Swifty” are being treated like kings.

Then the real Swifty Morgan arrives.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I loved Support Your Local Sheriff.  I had high hopes for Support Your Local Gunfighter since the director, James Garner and most of the cast was returning.  Sadly it falls short of the first film.  Also the film is NOT a sequel.

Support Your Local Gunfighter! (1971) rates 3 of 5 stars

“City on Fire” (1987) directed by Ringo Lam, starring Chow Yun-Fat and Danny Lee / Z-View

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City on Fire (1987)

Director:  Ringo Lam

Screenplay: Tommy Sham; story by Ringo Lam

Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Yueh Sun, Danny Lee. 

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Ko Chow is an undercover cop who has infiltrated a group of jewel thieves.  When a robbery goes sideways, people are killed.  The crooks barely get away.  The cops aren’t far behind.  The thieves think someone ratted them out.  The cops want them all dead or alive.

Ko Chow is in a tight spot… and it’s getting tighter.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

City on Fire provided the inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs.

Chow Yun-Fat and Danny Lee would re-team two years later in John Woo’s The Killer.

City on Fire (1987) rates 3 of 5 stars

Rating:

“Support Your Local Sheriff!” (1969) starring James Garner, Joan Hackett and Walter Brennan / Z-View

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Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)

Director:  Burt Kennedy

Screenplay: William Bowers

Stars: James Garner, Joan Hackett, Walter Brennan, Harry Morgan, Jack Elam, Henry Jones, Willis Bouchey, Gene Evans, Walter Burke, Kathleen Freeman, Dick Haynes and Bruce Dern. 

Tagline: Our trouble-shooting sheriff always put his finger on it (or in it). No wonder they call him The Fastest Finger in the West.

The Plot…

When gold is discovered in the small settlement of Calendar, it becomes a lawless boom town overnight.  Every sheriff the city council hires is either killed or leaves in a hurry. The townsfolk find themselves at the mercy of the Danby family who own the property surrounding Calendar.

When Joe Danby kills a man over a card game, only Jason McCullough is willing to testify that it was murder.  McCullough is just passing through, but in need of money.  So when he’s offered the sheriff’s job, he accepts.

McCullough is as quick with his wits as he is with a gun.  He’ll need to use both since he’s sheriff of a town full of drunken miners, a jail with no bars, a cold blooded murder for a prisoner and the Danby family out for revenge.  McCullough’s biggest problem may be the mayor’s daughter Purdy.

Giddy up!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I saw Support Your Local Sheriff when it was first released.  I was ten.  Seeing it again brings back great memories.  Support Your Local Sheriff has the right mix of action and humor.  James Garner was perfect as the gunslinger who’d rather use his wits than his gun.

Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) rates 5 of 5 stars