The movie opens with a scene that might have taken inspiration from 1980's "The Long Riders", as the outlaw gang headed by Mickey Rourke's Graff character barges into a bank on horseback to thwart an awaiting ambush outside by the town's citizens. The gunfight that ensues leaves one of the bad guy bunch severely wounded, but all seven outlaws make their getaway with a hastily gathered posse ready in close pursuit. Second in command to Graff, Eustis (Dermot Mulroney) would have made a good Marine, wanting to leave no man behind as he repeatedly aids the badly wounded Loomis (Daniel Quinn) against the advice of his boss. When it becomes apparent that Graff will eliminate Loomis so he doesn't slow down their escape, Eustis turns the tables on him and shoots him at point blank range, a turning point in the story that has severe repercussions for the rest of the gang.
Though the story is seen as a revenge tale, I see Graff's motivation as equally inspired by a desire not to get arrested for the bank job, as he allies with the town's posse led by Marshal Sharp (Gavan O'Herlihy). Yet there's no love lost between Graff and Sharp, as an ambush by the gang sees Sharp take a bullet with Graff finishing him off by drowning him in a pond. One by one thereafter, Graff picks his spots to eliminate his former compatriots in a show of cunning and deceit, highlighted by his murder of banker McClintock (Richard Fancy), who only cared about retrieving the bank's stolen money.
What intrigued me was the turn in Eustis's character when he left Wills (John C. McGinley) to fend for himself after Wills' horse had to be put down. The situation was similar to that of the injured Loomis, who Eustis refused to leave behind. But now, there was no compassion for a fellow outlaw, perhaps understandable since Wills returned the stolen money in a moment of panic as the posse closed in. With events during the posse chase hardening Eustis as the gang got cut down one by one, a final showdown between Eustis and his former boss was inevitably expected. The overemphasis Graff placed on his men to count their remaining ammunition proved to be his own undoing, as a bank teller's derringer taken by Eustice proved to be a deciding factor in the story's conclusion. The only question that remained at that point was - where the heck was the rest of the posse?
Though the story is seen as a revenge tale, I see Graff's motivation as equally inspired by a desire not to get arrested for the bank job, as he allies with the town's posse led by Marshal Sharp (Gavan O'Herlihy). Yet there's no love lost between Graff and Sharp, as an ambush by the gang sees Sharp take a bullet with Graff finishing him off by drowning him in a pond. One by one thereafter, Graff picks his spots to eliminate his former compatriots in a show of cunning and deceit, highlighted by his murder of banker McClintock (Richard Fancy), who only cared about retrieving the bank's stolen money.
What intrigued me was the turn in Eustis's character when he left Wills (John C. McGinley) to fend for himself after Wills' horse had to be put down. The situation was similar to that of the injured Loomis, who Eustis refused to leave behind. But now, there was no compassion for a fellow outlaw, perhaps understandable since Wills returned the stolen money in a moment of panic as the posse closed in. With events during the posse chase hardening Eustis as the gang got cut down one by one, a final showdown between Eustis and his former boss was inevitably expected. The overemphasis Graff placed on his men to count their remaining ammunition proved to be his own undoing, as a bank teller's derringer taken by Eustice proved to be a deciding factor in the story's conclusion. The only question that remained at that point was - where the heck was the rest of the posse?