With the Hallmark name attached I expected somewhat more from "Desolation Canyon" and was less than impressed and satisfied with this picture. The feature players were prominent enough to carry off their roles, but somehow Patrick Duffy didn't seem to pull it off as the grizzled sheriff of Green River. There was no hard edge to his demeanor, and even less urgency to taking up the chase after the Press Reynolds gang after they kidnap a young boy. Now I can bow to the wisdom of his older partner Sam (Stacy Keach) who seemed to know a whole lot more about the tracking business than sheriff Swede. As it turns out, the quarry includes Swede's own son turned outlaw, and the kidnapped boy is Sam's grandson Abe.
The good guys are aided by an uprooted Boston banker (David Rees Snell) who knows something about handling firearms, and that's one of the twists of the story. In one of the better conceived scenes of the film, Edwin confronts bounty hunter Winters, leaving him both confounded and weaponless when he simply takes a six gun right out of his hand. On the flip side, that probably would never happen in a real life situation.
Another scene defying credibility occurs when the good guy trio pauses on the trail at a saloon, soon followed by Press Reynolds (Kenny Johnson) and his main henchman Jack McAllister (Courtney Gains). Press and his boys blew up the bank at Green River, stole seven hundred dollars, and conspired with Johnny Kendrick (Victor Browne) to kidnap Johnny's son. With all the build up aimed at convincing the viewer what a fearsome reputation Sam Kendrick had as a gunman, the movie could have been almost over right then and there. But nothing happened.
At least some credit goes to the kidnapped boy Abe, wisely leaving a wooden toy horse on the trail as a clue to follow. Later when one of the wounded outlaws is left to oversee the boy, and just as I finished saying to myself the kid just ought to get up and go, the kid just gets up and goes! However take away points for running into an open field where the gang picks him up again to resume the cat and mouse game.
As other posters on the film have noted, clichés abound, mainly written for Patrick Duffy's character, but the one that came out wildly but unintentionally funny was uttered by hard boiled Sam at the final showdown - "Reynolds, you worthless piece of....dung!!! Obviously cleaned up for the Hallmark audience, the remark only drew more attention to itself as wholly unrealistic given the circumstances. It's soon overshadowed though when Reynolds sends Johnny out with a single bullet to kill his father. In probably the only moment they ever faced each other man to man, Johnny implores - "Make sure Abe don't turn out like you and me" - just before he's sent to Boot Hill by Reynolds.
Except for the gorgeous scenery and superb cinematography, "Desolation Canyon" winds up merely adequate as a made for TV Western, while the relentless pace of the commercials in the final third of the story didn't help. Even the title hearkens back to the days of the 'B' Western, when the name of the film had little or nothing to do with the story. There never was mention made of a canyon, desolate or otherwise, and the final showdown occurred at Antelope Springs.
The good guys are aided by an uprooted Boston banker (David Rees Snell) who knows something about handling firearms, and that's one of the twists of the story. In one of the better conceived scenes of the film, Edwin confronts bounty hunter Winters, leaving him both confounded and weaponless when he simply takes a six gun right out of his hand. On the flip side, that probably would never happen in a real life situation.
Another scene defying credibility occurs when the good guy trio pauses on the trail at a saloon, soon followed by Press Reynolds (Kenny Johnson) and his main henchman Jack McAllister (Courtney Gains). Press and his boys blew up the bank at Green River, stole seven hundred dollars, and conspired with Johnny Kendrick (Victor Browne) to kidnap Johnny's son. With all the build up aimed at convincing the viewer what a fearsome reputation Sam Kendrick had as a gunman, the movie could have been almost over right then and there. But nothing happened.
At least some credit goes to the kidnapped boy Abe, wisely leaving a wooden toy horse on the trail as a clue to follow. Later when one of the wounded outlaws is left to oversee the boy, and just as I finished saying to myself the kid just ought to get up and go, the kid just gets up and goes! However take away points for running into an open field where the gang picks him up again to resume the cat and mouse game.
As other posters on the film have noted, clichés abound, mainly written for Patrick Duffy's character, but the one that came out wildly but unintentionally funny was uttered by hard boiled Sam at the final showdown - "Reynolds, you worthless piece of....dung!!! Obviously cleaned up for the Hallmark audience, the remark only drew more attention to itself as wholly unrealistic given the circumstances. It's soon overshadowed though when Reynolds sends Johnny out with a single bullet to kill his father. In probably the only moment they ever faced each other man to man, Johnny implores - "Make sure Abe don't turn out like you and me" - just before he's sent to Boot Hill by Reynolds.
Except for the gorgeous scenery and superb cinematography, "Desolation Canyon" winds up merely adequate as a made for TV Western, while the relentless pace of the commercials in the final third of the story didn't help. Even the title hearkens back to the days of the 'B' Western, when the name of the film had little or nothing to do with the story. There never was mention made of a canyon, desolate or otherwise, and the final showdown occurred at Antelope Springs.