WFG RATING: B+

An AB (Ass Backwards) Films production. Directed and edited by Aaron Bratcher. Produced by Tim O’Hearn and Jeff Grennell. Written by Gregory Lamberson; story by Tim O’Hearn. Cinematography by Dean Bundy.

Stars Jeff Grennell, Debra Lamb, Jesse Marciniak, Tim O’Hearn, Mike Montgomery, Steve Graf, Aaron Bratcher, M.K. Smith, and Vernon Wells. 

The last likely hero of the Wild West comes from the present day in this time-travel Western comedy written by the great Gregory Lamberson.

Daryl Dumwoody is having a completely bad time. A ranch hand who dreams of being John Wayne, his longtime idol, has been dumped by his girlfriend due to his boring nature. To make matters worse, bad business forced him to be let go from his job. Upon going to the ranch, he makes a request to bring one of the horses to the pasture for one last ride. He soon finds a mysterious door and decides to go through it. 

The door leads Daryl to a world he never imagined. Thinking he is in a theme park, he meets general store owner Marion McMurtry and soon enough, Daryl learns he is in the actual Wild West. When he sees a shooting from the outlaw Jesse “The Beast” Bristol, Daryl soon must learn what he has always wanted and become like his idol to save the town from peril with the help of Sheriff Dobbs.

This is definitely a wild adventure that takes the unsung hero to a world he’s only dreamed of. Slime City Massacre director Gregory Lamberson wrote this time travel Western adventure based on a story by Tim O’Hearn. The film is a feature film adaptation of their short film The Door, and it’s a great film that relies on the good ol’ West, an unlikely hero, and time travel.

Jeff Grennell, who also produced the film, is excellent as the protagonist Daryl Dumwoody, who is seen idolizing John Wayne and wants to be like him someday, much to the chagrin of his boss Steve, played by Mike Montgomery. It is when he loses his girlfriend and job that he contemplates ending it all until he discovers a door that will change his life forever. It is there he may seem like he’s in a completely different world and yes, there is trouble a-brewin’. However,  he also finds himself in a world he feels happy to be in after the miserable life he had in the present day.

The supporting cast is great. Debra Lamb is wonderfully cast as general store owner Miriam, who becomes Daryl’s love interest. Steve Graf plays Sheriff Dobbs, who becomes Daryl’s mentor in the ways of gunslinging while Jesse Marciniak is ruthless as lead outlaw Jesse Bishop, aka “The Beast”. The iconic Vernon Wells also makes the most of his screen time as corrupt official Orson, who is in cahoots with our lead bad guy. The third act offers up some twists and turns as it allows our unlikely hero to finally do what he’s always dreamt of. 

Showdown in Yesteryear is a fun mostly bloodless adventure that sees the unlikeliest of heroes become the one this Wild West town needs. Some shocking twists in the third act help and despite some parts that drag, this is overall a pretty good Western-time travel comedy worth checking out.