Big Kill, Big Fun

It’s hard to know just what to make of Big Kill.  It’s got all the hallmarks of a low budget western- the plot is fairly simple (lots of discussion of rustling but I don’t think you ever see a cow), the same sets gets used over and over, the cast has a bunch of faces you kind of recognize, and a lot that you don’t.

But it’s also a lot of fun and made with love.  The sets, while few, are great.  None of the leads are big names but there’s a mountain of B-list or formerly A-now-B-list actors rounding out the cast: Jason Patric, Lou Diamond Phillips, Danny Trejo.  Their direction seems to have been pretty much “go have fun.”  These aren’t award winning performances, but you can tell they are all enjoying the freedom to ham it up and overact to their heart’s content.

Big Kill is written and directed by Scott Martin, who you almost certainly have never heard of and seems to have spent more of his career as a producer than anything else (I’ve been a producer, it’s a tough job).  He’s also one of the leads, as one of a pair of scoundrelous cowboys who help a tenderfoot find his way to Big Kill, once a big town and now a big mystery.  Frontier mayhem, organized crime, great sets and costumes, and Lou Diamond Philips at has gall derned best.  Go watch it.  Streaming everywhere.

Also, Stephanie Baren is amazing as Felicia Stiletto.

Scott Martin & Stephanie Baren

Felicia Stiletto