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Miracle at Sage Creek
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by Universal Studios
Sales Rank: 28970
Price: $13.49
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With a history of feuding horse rustling & violence the franklin & red eagle families are well known rivals in the lawless western frontier. When disaster strikes these 2 families will be forced to confront their many differences as lives hang in the balance. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 09/04/2007 Run time: 83 minutes Rating: Pg
Viewer Reviews
***UPDATE: If you plan to buy or rent this movie, avoid this version and get "Christmas Miracle at Sage Creek" instead. Apparently it's a slightly longer version...and has the missing snow (?). Just do a search and you'll find it here on Amazon.***
I have no idea what this movie was doing in the Action section of Blockbuster. I have no idea how Kirby Jones of Western Writers of America (one of the endorsers on the jacket)could possibly believe this is "one of the best Westerns in 20 years"--absolutely BIZARRE comment. I also have no idea how it could have won a Spur Award for Best Western Drama (unless there weren't many Westerns made in 2006?).
I suppose the main problem is that the movie is misrepresented in terms of its genre. It's fine for a family film or a TV Christmas special (although I thought it snows in Wyoming in December?). It's a family drama with two odd, short gun fights (the first one was okay but the second one was totally unbelievable--guys unable to hit the other guys at close range?) that happens to take place on a Wyoming homestead in 1888. The filmmakers are not at fault for this--they clearly say that they wanted to make a Western-flavored film that kids would like.
I think the biggest criticism I have for it, though (genre mix-up aside), is the lack of simple details that would make it more believable as a period piece. First, with the exception of Wes Studi (who is believable as a diplaced Crow chief in his diction and bearing), the actors all sounded and looked like 21st century people wearing 19th century clothes and saying lines that either you'd say today or which someone today would imagine someone might say in 1888. Most of the actors do admirably well with the not-too-great script (although the kids are certainly miscast). But my other complaint is that there wasn't one speck of dirt anywhere! I will admit, however, that it wasn't any help that I watched 3:10 to Yuma (the new one) yesterday. Night and day. True, it's not exactly a family film and this one had to tone down typical Western violence, but I don't see how it would be bad for kids to see frontier people with bad teeth and the grime, dust, and sweat that comes with working hard on a homestead. This kind of realism wouldn't make anything dismal--it would actually make the story more uplifting. Ah well.
I must say that, as a fan, I was also slightly disappointed that Wes Studi didn't have more lines and that Irene Bedard's lines were not very well-written (although she did well with what she had to work with). The ubiquitous David Carradine was good, as was the actress playing his daughter. Probably the best praise I can dole out is for the DP. Many very nice exterior shots, particularly of the land and horses. A great use of HD.
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Miracle at Sage Creek
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