Shadowheart is not your typical western and I have mixed feelings about it. If I want a true western I think I'll turn to Eastwood. Allow me to split my thoughts into pros and cons...
There are several things I don't like about Shadowheart. First of all, the movie doesn't exactly reflect the title. I think in the first minute the narration says something along the lines of "I refer to him as Shadowheart" and that's all we hear of that. You can forget about it and might as well make up your own title. I would call it Legend, which is where this takes place, a town in New Mexico set in 1865. Secondly, the beginning of the movie is boring and the child acting is borderline laughable. Obviously not all children are stars, but the acting just isn't good. Thirdly, the very end did not seem necessary. I won't say much so as not to spoil everything, but if it ended showing the yellow ribbon and nothing afterward I would have been happier. That would have been a great way to finish. Watch and you'll know exactly what I mean.
Now on to what I do like about Shadowheart. First of all, poor acting aside, this is a solid story. I enjoyed it despite dealing with the aforementioned cons. James Conners loses his father to murder as a child, he leaves town and returns an adult seeking vengeance. Would I recommend it as a western to see? No. Would I recommend it as a movie to see? Maybe. Secondly, Will Tunney is a fantastic character. He's the slimy guy everyone's afraid to mess with and he ultimately owns the town. Nobody likes him, likely even his own crew. Heck, I wanted him dead the entire movie he was that ruthless.
There are several things I don't like about Shadowheart. First of all, the movie doesn't exactly reflect the title. I think in the first minute the narration says something along the lines of "I refer to him as Shadowheart" and that's all we hear of that. You can forget about it and might as well make up your own title. I would call it Legend, which is where this takes place, a town in New Mexico set in 1865. Secondly, the beginning of the movie is boring and the child acting is borderline laughable. Obviously not all children are stars, but the acting just isn't good. Thirdly, the very end did not seem necessary. I won't say much so as not to spoil everything, but if it ended showing the yellow ribbon and nothing afterward I would have been happier. That would have been a great way to finish. Watch and you'll know exactly what I mean.
Now on to what I do like about Shadowheart. First of all, poor acting aside, this is a solid story. I enjoyed it despite dealing with the aforementioned cons. James Conners loses his father to murder as a child, he leaves town and returns an adult seeking vengeance. Would I recommend it as a western to see? No. Would I recommend it as a movie to see? Maybe. Secondly, Will Tunney is a fantastic character. He's the slimy guy everyone's afraid to mess with and he ultimately owns the town. Nobody likes him, likely even his own crew. Heck, I wanted him dead the entire movie he was that ruthless.