WFG RATING: B+

The Avenue presents a Latigo Films production in association with Goldrush Entertainment. Directed by Audrey Cummings. Produced by Robert A. Daly Jr., Eric Gozlan, and David Lipper. Written by Richard Taylor. Cinematography by Andrzej Sekula. Edited by Michael P. Mason.

Stars Heather Graham, Brielle Robillard, Corin Nemec, Tom Hopper, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Gattlin Griffith, David Lipper, Zachary Keller, and Ray Abruzzo. 

A mother and daughter will go to great lengths to take on an outlaw gang in this Western-thriller meshing from director Audrey Cummings. 

In the frontier of the late 19th-century, Pandora and her teenage daughter Hester live on an isolated ranch. Pandora is not just overprotective of her daughter, but also teaches her the ways of survival. One day, the duo comes across a wounded man named Calhoun. They nurse him back to health, but Calhoun is hiding something and realizing that they could be in danger, he tells them why he is wounded.

Bear John is the leader of an outlaw gang. Recently, they pulled a major job, but Calhoun has taken off with the money. An attempt to kill Calhoun had failed. However, they have trailed him to the ranch. With the ranch surrounded, Pandora and Hester must use the skills they have learned in order to take down the outlaw gang once and for all. 

Heather Graham has been making waves this year with her delving in the horror genre. After rave review for Suitable Flesh, she returns now with a Western that has elements of survival horror but mostly stands as the former. However, director Audrey Cummings and screenwriter Richard Taylor break away from the norms on occasion to focus on the complicated relationship between the two main protagonists.

Graham is headstrong as matriarch Pandora. She may seem overprotective at times but she is looking out for her daughter Hester. Speaking of which, if there is going to be a breakout performance in this film, it definitely goes to Brielle Robillard as the daughter who may not like her mother’s methods, but utilizes them to her advantage when faced with a threat. Corin Nemec, while playing the injured Calhoun, tends to let off some steam with a few beats of comic relief. It is as if he is the calm before the storm.

Tom Hopper is the outlaw leader Bear John, who will go through any great lengths to get the money that Calhoun took. And when “anything” is said, he will even go as far as take out members of his own crew if they had any sort of trepidation against him. Of course, those who remain loyal will do anything to ensure they get their share and this leads to an all-out war, which at times brings in elements of horror, as we see Pandora and Hester use their skill sets against the outlaws. 

What starts out as a slow burn typical Western drama, Place of Bones goes full speed ahead in the third act, bringing out the best in both Heather Graham and breakout Brielle Robillard. Definitely one to check out.

The film will be released in select theaters and on Digital on August 23.