Great cast... and that's about it

Viggo and Ed back after A History of Violence, with Jeremy Irons and Rene Zellwegger filling out the cast? We're talking award-season stuff, right?

Wrong.

They all must have all wanted to do a Western or work with Ed Harris (who also wrote and directed), because I have no other reason why this movie got made. The movie is standard stuff, pure and simple, and doesn't break new ground, doesn't really try to do something new.

The problem is the script - it's plodding, predictable, and doesn't put a new spin on a tired genre that needed something fresh. Harris is a badass with a reputation, but almost instantly he's turned into a whipped simp. IViggo's character has no faults and no personality. He basically is there to follow Ed's character around like a puppy. I was at least hoping Irons would chew up the scenery like we all know he can do, but he's held back with a muzzle. Why Zellwegger is even in this I don't know, but her character is incredibly unlikable she isn't really trying to make the role her own. If you're thinking you're getting some gritty Ed Harris or Viggo commanding the screen with a quiet grace, try The Rock or Eastern Promises.

A random stranger's opinion - There are plenty of Westerns out there if you're hard up for some Old West, and many are better than this mediocre attempt.