One of the most successful projects from Walter Hill’s later career was shooting the Deadwood pilot, so it’s no surprise to see him back in the small screen saddle. This time it’s a self contained mini series, and one of the few post 1980s cowboy stars (Robert Duvall; the others would be Kevin Costner and maybe Tom Selleck).
American filmmakers have shown an increasing ability to tackle the issue of race, so the central idea gives hope this might make for powerful drama – some Chinese women sold into prostitution come under the protection of two cowboys (Duvall and Thomas Haden Church). Unfortunately the Chinese women remain personality-less ciphers, wailing victims. All the drama and character development is given to the cowboys and the white prostitute (Greata Scacchi) who accompanies them. (Hill was never a great director of women).
It's a mixture of slow, thoughtful, elegiac scenes - bathing in the river as the sun goes down, having cups of coffee, teaching the girls to ride, campfire dinners - interspersed with outbursts of violence, which are extremely well handled. It's a shame the script and character work wasn't stronger.
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