Texas Rangers ** (2001, James Van Der Beek, Rachael Leigh Cook, Ashton Kutcher, Dylan McDermott) – Classic Movie Review 1891

In the aftermath of the American Civil War, a posse of courageous young gunslingers resolves to prevent Texas from falling into lawless ruin and form the Texas Rangers to clean up the place.

Director Steve Miner’s spirited 2001 Western doesn’t quite have the power to hit the target bull’s eye, but there’s a decent, compelling, if none-too-historical yarn from the book by George Durham and screen-writers Scott Busby and Martin Copeland.

James Van Der Beek (as Lincoln Rogers Dunnison), Ashton Kutcher (as George Durham), Rachel Leigh Cook (as Caroline Dukes) and Dylan McDermott (as Leander McNelly) star and there’s very good work from them and all the excellent cast. Plus it looks great, thanks to Daryn Okada’s cinematography, Don Harper’s production designs and a hefty budget of $35million.

And it co-stars Usher Raymond, Tom Skerritt, Alfred Molina, Robert Patrick, Randy Travis, Leonor Varela, Brian Martell, Billy Morton, Kate Newby and Gordon Michaels.

It was mostly filmed in Alberta, Canada, but also in Durango, Mexico. It grossed a tiny $623,000 in the US and went straight to DVD/video in the UK. So it didn’t become the Young Guns of its generation.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1891

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