Very well executed

the audience applauded

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

RELEASED TO TV IN 1999 and directed by Uli Edel, "Purgatory" chronicles events circa 1888 when a gang of outlaws led by Blackjack Britton (Eric Roberts) holds up in a mysterious hidden town called Refuge where the inhabitants seem overly gracious and pacifistic. Respectful greenhorn Sonny (Brad Rowe) increasingly suspects something strange is happening. Sam Shepard plays the Sheriff, Donnie Wahlberg his deputy, Randy Quaid the doctor and JD Souther a shop-owner. Amelia Heinle and Shannon Kenny are on hand in the feminine department.Other than the action-packed opening, this is a town-bound Western. While you can pick-up the made-for-TV quality right away, the movie scores well in its intriguing premise and quality writing. There are fantastical elements akin to "Pale Rider" (1985) and "High Plains Drifter" (1973). The movie's pretty much on par with the former and superior to the latter IMHO due to the more engaging story and weighty subtext.THE FILM RUNS 1 hour, 34 minutes and was shot in Barstow and Burbank Studios, California. WRITER: Gordon T. Dawson.GRADE: BADDITIONAL COMMENTARY ***SPOILER ALERT*** (Don't read unless you've watched the movie).Some viewers misunderstood the premise of the movie. The town of Refuge isn't just for outlaws; it's the "last chance" for the "marginally good," as phrased in the movie; it evens says something like the inhabitants were plucked from the incorrigibly wicked. As such, the citizens (not visitors) have different identities and occupations than in their former lives. For instance, Billy the Kid is now Deputy Glen, not a gunfighter; and Dolly Sloan is now Ivy, not a prostitute or suffragette. Holliday was now Doc Woods, an M.D. and not a dentist, who wasn't skinny because he no longer has tuberculosis.Just the same, Jesses James was now a shop owner named Brooks and was no longer robbing trains. Some contend that James deserved immediate damnation because he was a notorious bank/train robber, but the movie implies that he was corrupted by the Civil War during his developing years which involved the bloody guerrilla warfare in Missouri/Kansas and therefore he is given a "last chance" in Refuge .As for the dubious chronology, Holliday might have been a relatively recent arrival and therefore the reference to "10 years" in regards to Hickok's death actually meant "about 10 years." So the events could be taking place in 1888 or even 1889.The movie suggests that Sonny was read-up on famous Western figures and so recognized clues to their real identities. He only suspected who they really were. And this was eventually verified as he increasingly discovers the supernatural nature of Refuge. In other words, it wasn't like he instantly recognized these individuals and was 100% sure of their semi-infamous identities based on dime-store novels.Lastly, some complain that the movie supports the questionable idea that shooting people makes you a candidate for eternal life. Actually, it advocates selfless bravery and commitment to justice: Blackjack & his gang proved that they were chronic thugs and a serious threat to others; taking a violent-if-necessary stand against them was the only answer since they were incurable. The best way to stop a bad person with a gun is via a good person with a gun.

They don't make westerns like this one anymore, in fact I don't think they ever made one just like this one. Imagine a town where the sheriff wears no gun, there's a saloon where no one drinks, and everyone goes to church every time the bell rings day or night. There is always smoke and fog behind the cemetery gate, and an old Indian warrior stands guard there. But this town is not what it seems, as the citizens turn out to be Wild Bill Hickcock, Jessie James, Doc Holiday and Billy the Kid to name a few. The problem is they are all dead or are they?Then an outlaw gang, fresh from a bank robbery ride into this peaceful town, trying to wake it up and help themselves, puzzled about the meekness of the citizens. A young fellow with the gang is the only one to figure out what is happening as he realizes just who most of these people really are. Sam Shepard, Eric Roberts and Randy Quaid give especially strong performances, as does R. G. Armstrong as the stage coach driver who comes to take the citizens of Purgatory home after the stop here. They don't make cowboy movies like this anymore, but they should.

After committing a bank robbery, a large group of outlaws led by Blackjack Britton are on the run. So Britton leads his men across the desert, which they come across a quiet little town called Purgatory, where the strange locals don't carry guns, or even curse, but they really make them welcome. This very helpful gesture spurs Britton to stir up a racket and take over the town, but one of his men, a young wannabe, Sonny, doesn't share Britton's idea and he finds himself picking up some unusual hints of something otherworldly about the town and its inhabitants.What a nice surprise the cable TV movie, "Purgatory", actually turned out to be. It's far from your conventional western. Well, there's some formulaic western stakes within it, but it does have a weird novelty behind it that wouldn't feel out-of-place in a "Twilight Zone" episode. This unique sprinkle and along with a appealing cast made it a very engrossing and delightful viewing, despite that it's pretty much a sleeper when building up the story and the mysterious twist engulfing the presentation forces itself on us too suddenly and rather obviously. I could go on about the whole twist and the story has a few layers to peel off, but its better to just know that it involves a group of outlaws who have made names for themselves. Like Bill Hicock, Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Doc Holliday. Now that's a great line-up! The story kind a follows a redemption angle, where it's all about choice and a chance to make good, but despite this option there are temptations you must face, before accepting your fate. Gladly none of it becomes too overwrought. There are some creative juices flowing here amongst a very solid looking production. The film opens and closes with thrilling and well-staged gunfights. Dynamic wise, the fruitful cast gel impeccably well, involving the likes of Eric Roberts killing it, as Blackjack Britton and then you got Brad Rowe as the naïve Sonny. Peter Stonmore gives a stand-out performance as the crackpot sidekick of Britton, Cavin. Some of the town's folk you see kicking back are played by Randy Quaid, Sam Elliott, Donnie Wahlberg, J.D. Souther and the stunning Amelia Heinle. What got me more than anything, was the production was very well mounted with smoothly displayed photography that captured the vastness and close details that sprawled along the screen and a sulky, fine-tuned score that created an eerie howl, really does lift it out of the very stuffy mould of TV features.A very curious piece that just doesn't go anywhere big with its fascinating concept, but still it's surely entertaining.

Sam Elliot or Sam Shepard?Sam Elliott .... Sheriff Forrest/Wild Bill Hickock Eric Roberts .... Blackjack Britton Randy Quaid .... Doc Woods/Doc Holliday Peter Stormare .... Cavin Guthrie Brad Rowe .... Leo 'Sonny' Dillard Donnie Wahlberg .... Deputy Glen/Billy The Kid J.D. Souther .... Brooks/Jesse James (as John David Souther) Amelia Heinle .... Rose/Betty McCullough Shannon Kenny .... Dolly Sloan/Ivy John Dennis Johnston .... Lamb/'Lefty' Slade Saginaw Grant .... Gatekeeper Richard Edson .... Euripides Gregory Scott Cummins .... Knox John Diehl .... Badger R.G. Armstrong .... Coachman