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The Wide West Review
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Alexander Nevsky– Max
Tatiana Neva– Sybil Malone
Joe Cornet– Jarrett Kingrey
Nick Baillie– Judge Dwight Ogburn
Sean Murray– Mayor
Kerry Goodwin– Lolly Mabree
Hiroki Sumi– Daiki
Takashi Ichinojo– Ichiro
Kaz Kobayashi– Taka
(check out the rest of the cast here)
Directed by Joe Cornet
Screenplay by Craig Hamann, based on a story by Alexander Nevsky and Andrew Freund
Distributed by ITN Distribution
Rated– TV-14
Runtime– 80 minutes
The Wide West is currently available exclusively on the Xumo Play streaming platform
The Wide West, directed by Joe Cornet and currently available exclusively on the Xumo Play streaming platform, stars international action star Alexander Nevsky as Max, a mysterious cowboy that rides into Gold Wood, a small “Old West” California town, looking to make some money. After relinquishing his sidearm to the town’s judge Dwight Ogburn (Nick Baillie), Max heads to the saloon (because what else are you going to do in the Old West in 1907?) where he meets two Sumo wrestlers and their handler (real deal Sumo wrestlers Hiroki Sumi and Takashi Ichinojo as Daiki and Ichiro, and Kaz Kobayashi as Taka the handler). What the heck are two Sumo wrestlers doing in a saloon in the Old West? The Sumo wrestlers are part of a diplomatic mission from Imperial Japan and are set to travel to Washington D.C. in order to put on a Sumo demonstration for President Teddy Roosevelt (Lee Dawson). They are in Gold Wood waiting to catch a train that will then take them to D.C. Max strikes up a conversation with the Sumo wrestlers and Taka, basically telling them not to trust anyone (Max would know, since he is himself a “foreigner.” Max is from Europe).
While all of that is happening, a card game at a nearby table gets out of hand, a brief shootout ensues (why didn’t the judge take this guy’s gun like he took Max’s? Did he not suspect that this guy had a gun? Is this guy just a sneaky punk and he smuggled his gun into town?), and Daiki ends up getting involved, smashing the shooter into the wall. Judge Ogburn shows up to investigate, places Daiki under arrest, Kaz tries to explain what happened (it was self-defense), Max backs him up, but Daiki will have to hang out in the jail until he himself can sort it all out. So Daiki goes to jail.
So then some stuff happens, word gets out about what happened in the saloon, and we find out that the dead card player is the brother of notorious outlaw Jarrett Kingrey (Joe Cornet). Kingrey and his gang (because notorious Old West outlaws like Kingrey always have gangs) show up and confront Judge Ogburn, wanting to know what really happened. Judge Ogburn offers Kingrey and his gang a big pile of money to just leave town, which Kingrey quickly refuses because he wants all of the town’s money. And if Kingrey doesn’t get exactly what he wants, he will set his gang loose upon the town and have them kill absolutely everyone living there. Kingrey gives Judge Ogburn three days to meet his demands.
In a panic, Judge Ogburn tries to come up with a plan to deal with Kingrey’s threat. Who the hell can he deputize to help him take on Kingrey’s gang? Ogburn immediately goes to Max and asks for his help. At first, Max doesn’t want to get involved, insisting that he’s a sportsman and gambler looking to make some money, not a gunfighter. Max eventually relents and agrees to help out when Judge Ogburn offers him $500 (the judge first offers Max $300, but Max convinces Ogburn to give him more than that). Judge Ogburn then organizes a few more potential helpers, mostly the men in town.
So then some more stuff happens, we find out that the dastardly Kingrey plans on attacking the town in one day instead of three (what to do you expect from a notorious outlaw?), and Max gets the Sumo wrestlers to perform a sort of Sumo exhibition in the middle of town. Will this Sumo exhibition rally the town and get them all in the right frame of mind to deal with the coming violence from Kingrey’s gang? Will Gold Town survive the onslaught?
The Wide West is a western that defies expectations. You expect that, with the presence of action star Nevsky, what you’re going to get is another action packed western similar to his previous western movies with director Cornet (The Wide West is Nevsky’s fourth western with Cornet). And while The Wide West does have its fair share of action (the movie does have a classic western shootout), it doesn’t seem to be all that interested in being like any other western out there. Instead, The Wide West would rather have fun with its premise. It isn’t a full on comedy or a parody or anything like that. Nothing is being sent up. But at the same time the movie doesn’t want you to take it seriously because it isn’t taking itself seriously. The Wide West strives to be maximum entertainment, and it succeeds in just about every way possible.
The opening scene, where we see Lee Dawson’s President Roosevelt at his New York state getaway, helps set the tone for the rest of the movie. We see TR talk with the Japanese ambassador to the U.S. about ending the Russo-Japanese war, TR talk about studying judo, and then we find out about the Sumo wrestlers travelling to the White House. The whole meeting seems weird but not off kilter. Dawson is charismatic as President Roosevelt, but he isn’t playing him as bigger than life, either. There is a sense, though, of wondering where the heck this story is going to go. Sumo wrestlers at the White House? And then, before that can even happen, we end up having Sumo wrestlers in the Old West. As soon as it starts, The Wide West basically establishes that it can go anywhere. Because, really, who would ever expect any of this to happen? And when the movie is over and we find out that the story is inspired by an actual Sumo champion going to TR’s White House (there’s a longish explainer of the actual historical event that the story is inspired by), it makes the whole The Wide West experience that much more extraordinary. You have never seen anything quite like The Wide West.
The old west town set used for Gold Town looks fantastic. It looks and feels like a small town out in the middle of nowhere. The saloon and judge’s office where the town jail is look like you expect them to. The best looking set in the movie is the clothing store set operated by Sybil Malone (Tatiana Neva), a local woman that quickly strikes up a relationship with Max. There’s a nifty action moment in this store towards the end of the movie. I would have liked to see the town’s hotel. Would it have looked like the saloon, or would it have looked more like the clothing store? The special bolo that Malone gives Max while in the store is also pretty cool.
The Sumo demonstration in the middle of the town is fascinating because it’s actually the most suspenseful scene in the movie. As Daiki and Ichiro go through the very specific ceremonial steps of a Sumo match, the assembled townsfolk watch with great interest. They have no idea what a Sumo match is, but they know they’re going to see something special. And if you’re not overly familiar with what Sumo wrestlers do before wrestling, you, too, are waiting to see just what the heck is going to happen. Why are the Sumo wrestlers throwing salt into the air? Why aren’t they just getting into the makeshift circle ring and attacking? Everyone, both the townsfolk and the audience watching at home, are anxiously awaiting what happens next. When Daiki and Ichiro finally go at it, the townsfolk explode with delight. The audience at home will no doubt cheer, too.
The big shootout sequence towards the end of the movie is violent but not necessarily in the way you expect it to be. You expect there to be copious amounts of gunplay, with the good guys and the bad guys shooting at one another with wild abandon. There is gunplay, but it happens rather quickly. There’s also quite a bit of slow motion used. The one thing that did surprise me was all of the instances of blood coming out of the mouth of the person that was just shot. It isn’t off putting or anything, but it does seem a bit out of place alongside the rest of the movie’s cinematic violence.
Alexander Nevsky does a great job as Max. Max is a mysterious man on a horse, riding into Gold Town from God knows where, hoping to make some money from gambling. He isn’t in Gold Town to look for or start trouble. If there’s going to be trouble, he doesn’t want to get involved. Yes, he has a gun, but it’s obviously for personal protection, not to start shit with (if he wanted to start shit he wouldn’t have given it up so easily to Judge Ogburn). Max is laid back, but there’s a sort of low level menace to his presence that makes you drawn to him. You don’t want to mess with this guy, you want him to be your friend, because you may need that menace one day. You can also see via the rugged contours of Max’s face that he has a past and has been through a lot riding through the Old West. He probably won’t tell you anything about that past beyond the bare minimum (he won’t reveal his last name because, as he says, it’s so long you won’t be able to pronounce it), but you know that it’s there. I think it’s safe to say that Nevsky is now an old pro at playing an old western man of action. He knows exactly how to portray a cowboy gunfighter and makes it look easy, like he’s been a cowboy his entire life. Nevsky also knows how to make his considerable on screen charisma work to its maximum effectiveness. You can’t take your eyes off of him. I do think, though, that they have to find a bigger handgun for Nevsky to use. Not a six shooter with a longer barrel, but one that’s somehow wider so his character’s gun doesn’t look so small in Nevsky’s massive hands. Maybe they could do a sort of sawed off Winchester pump deal? That would look cool as hell.
Tatiana Neva does a nice job as Sybil Malone, the clothing store owner that quickly develops a relationship with Nevsky’s Max. Malone is a smart and capable businesswoman, which she has to be in order to survive in the Old West. You can tell that the town likes her, sees her as an integral part of their existence, and that they respect her for the service that she provides the town. No one else runs a business quite like hers. When Malone meets Max, you can see the sparks between them develop immediately. Much like Nevsky, the camera absolutely loves Neva and that innate charisma draws you in to whatever the heck she’s doing. And it doesn’t really matter what she’s doing, you want to see it. Neva also has terrific chemistry with Nevsky, which helps make their relationship that much more believable. If they didn’t have that chemistry, you wouldn’t necessarily buy into their quick bond. Neva doesn’t get to do much in the way of action, which is a bit surprising considering she has done quite a few action roles in her career. She does get a nice scene during the shootout towards the end of the movie, though, so there is that. I think people are really going to dig Neva’s performance.
Nick Baillie does a fine job as Judge Dwight Ogburn, the Gold Town lawman that’s thrust into figuring out how the hell he is going to defend the town from a gang of notorious and vicious killers. I mean, yeah, you have to be on the lookout for violence when you’re a cop and you have to be able to deal with it when it happens, but if you’re only one guy and you’re set to face off against what amounts to an army of bad guys, what the hell are you realistically going to do? So Sheriff Ogburn looks for able bodied people that he can deputize. That’s got to be rough and mentally and emotionally exhausting. Baillie makes Ogburn a capable and decent guy that is also smart enough to realize that he’s in way over his head. You’re not too keen on his initial attempt to bribe Kingrey (you never want to see the cops negotiate with the bad guys, you want to see the cops take out the bad guys), but then you understand that trying to bribe the bad guys to stay away is pragmatic and the least bad option among a series of only bad ones. You end up feeling for Judge Ogburn and the situation he finds himself in. I’m glad that Baillie didn’t play Ogburn in a cynical way, as I can see that happening considering the situation. It’s better that Ogburn be a likeable fellow.
Joe Cornet, doing double duty as the movie’s director and villain, is thoroughly despicable as the notorious outlaw gang leader Jarrett Kingrey. As soon as Kingrey appears, you just know that he’s a supremely malevolent force without any redeeming qualities, and that’s before he opens his mouth and threatens to kill everyone in Gold Town. And when Kingrey does open his mouth, my God, you want to see him get his comeuppance. You want to see Max shoot him in the face or the two Sumo wrestlers flatten him. Cornet has appeared in multiple westerns over his acting career, and he typically plays a good guy of some sort (at least from what I’ve seen). Playing a villain is an interesting change of pace for Cornet, and it looks like he’s having the time of his life being the bad guy. Will he attempt more villainous roles in the future, both in other westerns and more modern movies? I think he should, because he knows how to play a mean bastard.
Hiroki Sumi and Takashi Ichinojo do admirable work in their debut movie performances as Daiki and Ichiro. They’re not really called upon to act, which is the right strategy for them because you don’t want them to be anything other than themselves. They may be portraying people with different names, but they aren’t tasked with being scientists or anything like that. They are in the movie to be Sumo wrestlers, and they know how to do that. They do both possess an inherent integrity and a natural likeability, the kinds of things that you can’t really fake. As soon as you see them, you’re drawn to them and want to know what they’re all about. And then when you put them in a western setting, it just automatically piques your interest. Why are there Sumo wrestlers in the Old West? Their Sumo exhibition is fun (it might have helped to edit this sequence so it moves a bit faster, but that’s a minor quibble). It’s also fun when we see one of them use a bow and arrow because how often does that kind of thing happen in a movie?
Kaz Kobayashi is the movie’s secret weapon as Taka, the handler and translator for Daiki and Ichiro. At first, Taka is just the guy that speaks for Daiki and Ichiro and acts as the referee in the Sumo exhibition. He doesn’t seem like much of a threat, especially after he explains what the ceremonial knife he carries around is all about. All of that changes when he participates in saving Gold Town from Kingrey’s gang in the coolest way possible. We’re talking serious swordplay. It’s insanely cool to see. On top of that, Kobayashi is loads of fun to watch and, much like Cornet as Kingrey, he seems to be having the time of his life as Taka.
The Wide West is a western that defies expectations. At no time does it do what you expect it to, and that includes its ending. I assume that, with the way the movie ends, that there will be a sequel of some sort eventually. And if and when that happens, I look forward to the sequel defying expectations, too. As for The Wide West, it’s a movie that you should definitely check out. You will have a good time with it, which is all it really wants you to do. You really can’t go wrong with that kind of movie. You really can’t.
See The Wide West. See it, see it, see it. The Wide West is currently playing exclusively on the Xumo Play streaming platform.
So what do we have here?
Dead bodies: Around 10
Explosions: None.
Nudity?: None.
Doobage: A summer retreat in New York. Bowing. A nifty opening titles sequence. A great opening theme. California. Horse riding. A saloon. Gambling. A shootout. Beer bottle to the head. Sumo attack. Local police interrogation. A claim of self-defense. Jail hooey. Talk of voodoo. More gambling. More horse riding. Total disrespect for the law. Attempted bribing. Attempted deputizing. More attempted bribing. A Sumo exhibition in the middle of an Old West town. Leg wrapping. Photo taking. Sal throwing. A siege. Stomping a guy. Treachery. Shotgun blast. Booze bottle to the head. A Sumo tag team attack. A slow motion gun scene. Swordplay hooey. Cigar dropping. More swordplay hooey. A hidden pistol. Battering ram hooey. Attempted shotgun loading. A standoff. Bow and arrow attack. A bloody killing. Bags of money. More New York.
Kim Richards? Attempted.
Gratuitous: 1907. President Teddy Roosevelt. “All my friends call me Teddy.” “And Joe Cornet.” Alexander Nevsky riding into town on a horse in slow motion. A woman named Sally. Sumo wrestlers hanging out in a saloon in the Old West. Guy talking about how big of a deal Sumo is in Japan. Explanation of the Sumo referee dagger. Guys playing cards/ Old West guys referring to their guns as “lead pushers.” Sumo wrestler in jail. Sumo wrestler performing Sumo exercise while in jail. Alexander Nevsky going clothes shopping. Alexander Nevsky gambling. Alexander Nevsky getting a full house. Sumo wrestlers gambling. People trying to say “yokozuna.” A Sumo exhibition in the middle of an Old West town. Alexander Nevsky smoking a cigar. Bad guys dying in slow motion. Sumo wrestler using a bow and arrow. President Teddy Roosevelt using a cigar cutter. A history lesson before the end credits.
Best lines: “Mr. President, the Japanese ambassador has arrived.” “Just call me Max.” “How do Americans live?” “That’s a real Comanche bow and arrow.” “You very strong. Thank you.” “Say, where you fellers from? China, I reckon.” “So, they fight with no weapons.” “To the surprises in life that don’t cause us grief.” “You fight well. Have you ever thought of becoming a boxer?” “I’m a sportsman, not a hired gun.” “We’re gonna burn down the bastards that killed Noel!” “Will you quit that goddamn pacing? It’s grating on my nerves.” “I said three days because it sounded good.” “I’m a gambler, not a shooter.” “Aren’t you going to bet? No. I never bet against a friend.” “Thanks goodness no one got hurt!” “I want you to send those two Japanese bastards to hell! Does everyone understand that?” “Those two big Chinamen still in there? What? They’re Japanese.” “You look amazing.” “Let’s clean up Gold Wood. Let’s do it, judge.” “Go ahead and try it. I only have one bullet left in this gun. And I sure as hell would love to use it on you!” Ain’t that a shame?” You want to make it fair, big man? I want to shoot you. But I will wait.” “I only need one.” “Do you miss tricks? Yeah, like I miss my daily headache.” “Sumo.”
