THE PLOT THUS FAR
Grammy Award® winning country music artist Trace Adkins (The Lincoln Lawyer) and Golden Globe® winner Ron Perlman (“Sons of Anarchy,” Pacific Rim) star in the all-new gun-slinging western The Virginian, will be locked and loaded on Blu-ray and DVD exclusively at Walmart and Sam’s Club, as well as digitally everywhere, January 7 from Cinedigm and Nasser Entertainment. Based on the long-running classic television series “The Virginian,” this all-new adaptation is directed by Thomas Makowski (WWJD: What Would Jesus Do?) and also features Brendan Penny (“Supernatural”).
A riveting and action-packed western, The Virginian tells the story of a handsome and enigmatic enforcer (Adkins) for a cattle baron (Ron Perlman) in Wyoming, who took him in after his parents were killed. Set against the backdrop of the Old West, the story of the Virginian’s past unfolds amidst a wealth of corruption, deception and gunplay, and the drama lays bare an unwritten law of the times: justice is a loaded gun. Packed with rustlers, romance and revenge, The Virginian rides onto Blu-ray and DVD for the suggested retail prices of $19.97 and $14.93, respectively. The film will also be available digitally everywhere.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“The Virginian” was one of the first Western novels that I ever read. Naturally, my eight year old man took it as Batman in the Old West. The Virginian was a well-organized vigilante that wanted justice against those that would wrong the innocent. Unfortunately, cattle rustling and misdeeds get in the way. But, when don’t they?
These kinds of stories work well in a Western since they allow a direct focus on crime and resolution. If you’ve got a criminal in the Old West, they wore black and their justice came by bullet or noose. Everything was well-defined and it made sense. Sure, the revisionist westerns tried to throw in moral ambiguity. But, they did it with the grace of a drunken Oksana Baiul. Ron Perlman carries the film, but Trace Adkins works his ass off in the title role. Honestly, I could see Adkins becoming a big B-movie action star/rural character actor in time.
The DVD comes with a featurette as the sole special feature. However, the transfer is pretty sharp for Direct to Video. That being said, I would’ve loved to have checked out the Blu-Ray disc. For a western shot on the cheap, the sound stage was impressive as well as the deep blues in the background. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the curious.
RELEASE DATE: 01/07/2014