Black Wood

Most Westerns like to have a slow burn, but not this one. Canfield includes constant action here that keeps the story from dragging. The nice thing is that the action is there not just to have action, it has a purpose and helps the narrative move along.

This is more of a movie for anyone who wants to see burly jerks in cowboy hats get knocked around by a giant, hairy humanoid in the gorgeous Black Hills wilderness — and who doesn’t mind waiting through a lot of slow-paced setup to get to some pretty nifty chases and gore.

The performances are uneven, with a few players having experience on obscure, equally malnourished and overreaching indie film sets, and others outright amateurs. There are continuity errors, with shots not quite matching up.