Keep this in mind when approaching Trail of Vengeance, as there is a lot of venomous thrills coiled up inside its leathery old-timey hide. Remo packs his western so full of violence that it gets almost to the Italian level, which is full-blown cowboy splatter. We get to see lots of people who deserve to die go toes up real good. Lots of head wounds, lots of nasty knife work, and lots of running around will have blood running down your face.
And like those biker toy drives, it is all for a good cause. The narrative works the revenge angle in early, so our list of who we want to see pay is written out early. It is also to the script’s credit how it ties real historical figures into a blood and guts oater. The true story reference elevates the material while still allowing it to run around feral and bite faces off. Even how clean the costumes were, which is usually a pet peeve of mine in Westerns, which are dirt-smeared by nature, made sense here, as the clean clothes made all the blood stand out.
“Remo packs his western so full of violence that it gets almost to the Italian level”
The sharpest shooting in the movie is done by the dead eye cinematographer, Isaac Alongi. Him and his camera totally make the state of Arkansas their bitch. Nearly every shot is framed by these splendid green glowing landscapes spreading out further. There are many spectacular sequences that you could take stills from and hang them in a gallery, like the scene in the lake.
There is one shot that is so good, the lower angle shot of Willis weeping with the building in the back during the funeral, it should be used for a doom metal album cover. Making the visions quake is the excellent score by Sacha Chaban, using a real full orchestra. The music is perfect to make some already villainous scoundrels seem even more sinister, especially Nelson. Nelson’s Frank is just as evil as Honda’s Frank was in Once Upon A Time In The West, to the point where Nelson’s shadow falls over scenes that he isn’t even in, just the mention of his name will send the hair up on your arms. Hebert is also outstandingly evil, finding a loathsome level of anti-human behavior below where even Frank operates. Fahey is the tyrannical cherry on top, showing everyone what truly ingrained wickedness looks like. I kept my eye out for Rumer Willis, but she was nowhere in sight, as she completely disappears into Katherine. This is some truly magnificent acting by Willis, as she goes double-barreled with both great drama and action. She makes you believe everything that is happening, while transforming herself into a flesh-and-blood weapon of cinematic catharsis. Willis needs to start killing many more people in many more movies, cause she slays it. Go follow this Trail of Vengeance, as it will turn your dull, dark evening blood red with delight.
"…elevates the material while still allowing it to run around feral"
